M A RV I N W I N D OWS A N D D O O R S C O M E I N A VA R I E T Y O F S T Y L E S . 速
B O R I N G I S N OT O N E O F T H E M .
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A collection of the best interior design around the world— where you live, where you work, where you play
available now at wearedesignbureau.com
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House Music See the playful pads musicians call home... when they’re not on the road
CONTENTS ISSUE 20 FEATURES 112
116
122
Modern Evolution After six decades in the design business, Robert Sonneman reflects on how European modernism evolved into an American staple Asif Khan on the Rise One of London’s most talented young architects proves you don’t have to be a starchitect to make history Musicians at Home Ever want to see where your favorite working musicians live? We did, so we went from L.A. to London for an exclusive look at the smartly designed homes of members of The Faint, Django Django, Azure Ray, and more
DIALOGUE & DESIGN THINKING 64
86
Building on Trust How architect Farhad Ashofteh creates solid foundations for his client relationships Red Rock Residence Dramatic desert views shape the design of a concept home
105
The Man Behind the Music A recording studio designer creates inspirational spaces for music legends
111
Family Guys Meet two designer dads who are taking Chicago’s club scene by storm
INFORMER 17
Pixels & Print
27
Objects & Gear
35
Fashion & Beauty
43
Travel & Culture
55
Structures & Spaces
PLUS 8 10 12 96 161 162
Contributors Letter From the Editor Letters Notes From the Bureau This Issue’s Best Albums For Hire
Todd Fink of The Faint, pictured in his Omaha house. Photo by Daniel Muller
ROCK-’N’-ROLL CULTURE FOR THE MODERN MUSIC FANATIC
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DESIGN BUREAU CONTRIBUTORS
Penelope Bartlett wrote this issue’s restaurant spotlight on Palm Springs’ Workshop Kitchen + Bar and interviewed fellow Scot David Maclean of Django Django for the Musicians at Home feature. She has curated archival and contemporary film programs at festivals and galleries in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Chicago, and Palm Springs.
Fiona Garden photographed David Maclean of Django Django for this issue on a sunny day in North London. A Vancouver native, the London-based music and fashion photographer seems determined to live in perennially rainy cities. Her work has been published internationally. fionagarden.com
Sarah Handelman is an American writer, critic, and editor living in London. Her work has appeared in Eye magazine, The New Inquiry, and the St. Louis Riverfront Times. She is currently coediting a book on dissidence and design. For this issue, she interviewed the rising and seemingly unstoppable architect Asif Khan.
Daniel Muller is a wedding and portrait photographer in Omaha. “I’ve always been inspired by people and their homes,” says Muller, who shot Todd and Orenda Fink for this issue’s Musicians at Home feature. “I’ve shot a ton of musicians over the past three years, but never on a such a personal level.” dpmuller.com
PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Chris Force chris@alarmpress.com ----MANAGING EDITOR
Kristin Larson kristin@alarmpress.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Joel Hoglund joel@alarmpress.com FEATURES EDITOR
Elizabeth Hall lhall@alarmpress.com EDITORIAL INTERN
Margot Brody -----
ART DIRECTOR
Spencer Matern spencer@alarmpress.com
DESIGNER
Kady Dennell kady@alarmpress.com DESIGN INTERN
Ashley Kuhn -----
CONTRIBUTORS
Penelope Bartlett, Gem Barton, Aryn Beitz, Jeremy Brautman, Kate Chiu, Ann Chou, Steven Fischer, Fiona Garden, Amber Gibson, Sarah Handelman, Noah Kalina, Heidi Kulicke, Maggie Lange, Ryan Lowry, Jordan Mainzer, Jill McDonnell, Daniel Muller, Laura Neilson, Jonathan Pilkington, Michael Pisarri, Kathryn Freeman Rathbone, Justin Ray, John F. Rizor, Rainbeau Seitz, Lauren Smith, Lesley Stanley, Katie Tandy, Dr. Rob Tannen, J. Michael Welton
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Ellie Fehd ellie@alarmpress.com
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
Tarra Kieckhaefer tarra@alarmpress.com
ACCOUNT MANAGERS
Jill Berris, Joel Bednarz, Krystle Blume, Lindsay DeCarlo, Kevin Graham, Matthew Hord, Kyle Johnson, Brianna Jordan, Moira Kelley, Caitlin Kerr, Bryan Tims, Natalie Valliere-Kelley, Mallory Wegner, Xavier Winslow NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
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Lauren Carroll laurenc@alarmpress.com
MARKETING COORDINATOR
Jenny Palmer jenny@alarmpress.com
ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER
LeeAnne Hawley leeanne@alarmpress.com ----HUMAN RESOURCES
Lauren Miller lmiller@alarmpress.com STAFF ACCOUNTANT
Mokena Trigueros ----ON THE COVER
Architect Asif Khan photographed by Michael Pisarri. Shot on location in Miami, Florida.
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July 2013
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
old architect from London whose short six-year career has already seen him take on projects for Coca-Cola and Swarovski. Though some might call it beginner’s luck, we just call it having balls to do it his own way. Read about how and why he eschewed the traditional post-school path on p.116.
Over the three years that we’ve been publishing Design Bureau, we’ve featured some big names: Milton Glaser, Jeannie Gang, Karim Rashid, George Lois, Stefan Sagmeister, and Michael Graves among them. They’ve all shared with us anecdotes, wisdom, and dialogue on what drives them to keep doing what they do. But many of my favorite stories come from unknown designers—students, recent grads, and up-andcomers whose names are not yet familiar but hope to be in the future. They’re the ones driving tomorrow’s design, shaping it with their fresh, new ideas and inspiration. Take Asif Khan, a 34-year-
Photo by Jim Krantz, JimKrantz.com
But chasing a dream and forging one’s own path isn’t exclusive to the world of design, and we have seven musicians featured inside that likely would agree. When they’re not crossing the country or flying around the world on tour, they bunk in some pretty eclectic homes. Whether it’s Todd and Orenda Fink (the couple behind The Faint and Azure Ray) at home in a 100-year-old house in Omaha, or Sam Spiegel, the kooky front-man of N.A.S.A. and Maximum Hedrum, inside his Hollywood Hills A-frame, these inspiring abodes will capture your interest no matter your taste in music. And since it’s summer, we’ve packed our Informer section with fun goods to get you outside and in the sun: stylish bikinis, surfing looks, cool bike helmets, and picnic gear for the design fanatic. So go celebrate the warm weather—maybe even read this month’s issue outside. Whatever you do, just enjoy. -----
Chris Force Publisher & Editor-in-Chief chris@alarmpress.com
enable future design leaders
provide clarity for specifiers and glazers
encourage earnest high school students
orient visitors to the middle of the country attract entrepreneurs
advocate for citizens who are healthy or sick
connect with mothers in need using their mobile phones
reassure customers who are enthusiastic about design
invite inspiration
educate employees who sit for long periods of time
alert the press
document student achievement invigorate well-dressed party-goers entice the devout
symbolize skin science for uncomfortable customers instruct cooking enthusiasts
capture conceptual environments
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July 2013
LETTERS TO DESIGN BUREAU SOUND BITES
DB SHOUT-OUTS FROM THE TWITTERVERSE
Join the conversation at twitter.com/DesignBureauMag
They weren’t rock stars’ homes, but we sure showed off some rockstar architecture and interior design in our May/June issue’s cover feature. Email us about this issue: letters@wearedesignbureau.com
GRAVES ENCOUNTER “My wife had the magazine and I read about Michael Graves’ work for the handicapped... I thought design was the same as decorating, but this showed me how it hits every part of people’s lives.” (C.K., VIA EMAIL)
HOT AND HIGH-COST “As one of the ‘little guys’ I’d love to see a house that doesn’t cost seven figures make it into your ‘hot home design’ feature. Doing something creative with zero budget is worth celebrating.”
WHERE’S THE 9/11 MEMORIAL? “I ask myself every day… interesting to hear [landscape designer Peter Walker’s] take on the whole thing.”
(M.H., VIA EMAIL)
DB TWEETS @captainglobal Guys as always I waited for your new issue. DB is the Ferrari of magazines... I am in love with you guys. @SoHaus225 Heard of @DesignBureauMag last week; cool concept— focus is on collaboration of designers, craftsmen, artisans. @BizOfStyling Thanks for your support! It’s nice to know that you are interested in showcasing the work of boutique firms. @PopUpRepublic @DesignBureauMag is great for design enthusiasts. February issue has feature on its favorite popups around the globe.
(P.T., VIA EMAIL)
“THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT IMAGINING AS FAR AS YOU CAN GO WITH AN IDEA AND THEN REACHING IT, AND THEN YOU’RE WONDERING, ‘NOW, WHERE CAN I GO FROM HERE?’” ARCHITECT ASIF KHAN PAGE 116
DB ON INSTAGRAM Jarritos Soda cube at #MestizoCity. #DesignMiami
See more of our photos on Instagram. Follow us @designbureaumag
FOR THE RECORD: Rants, ramblings, and random facts from behind the scenes of this issue
ZERO
SPERM
DEGREASER
CONFUCIUS
The amount of money some graphic designers make creating album art and packaging for bands. Find out why there’s still such amazing album art being made on p. 22
Musicians Todd and Orenda Fink disagreed over adding a spermshaped bottle to the decor of their home in Omaha. See who won this aesthetic argument on p. 124
Carolina Fontoura Alzaga soaks old bicycle chains in a bucket of degreaser for several weeks before turning them into awesome upcycled chandeliers. p. 27
The philosopher invented the game mahjong in 500 BC. Hans Hopfer and Roche Bobois invented the Mah Jong sofa in musician Sam Spiegel’s home in 1999. p. 148
Asif Khan photo by Michael Pisarri, michaelpisarri.com
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DESIGN BUREAU RECOMMENDS…
There's so much gear to get for summer— ’tis the real season to shop. Send us your recos at letters@wearedesignbureau.com.
KEVIN GRAHAM, ACCOUNT MANAGER
GUNNAR EYEWEAR “Gunnar’s high-tech glasses reduce the harmful light off digital screens— perfect for workdays at the computer and nights playing Guild Wars 2.”
KRISTIN LARSON, MANAGING EDITOR
“I can’t decide if this awesome watch version of winning Qlocktwo clock looks better on me or my husband.”
JENNY PALMER, MARKETING MANAGER
LIFEPROOF PHONE CASE never know if I’ll end up underwater or in a blizzard, and this is the case that keeps my iPhone safe from all the elements.“ $80,
JOEL HOGLUND, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
“Sometimes you just gotta walk around blasting ‘Fight the Power,’ know what I you plug in your iPod and into that.”
SPENCER MATERN, ART DIRECTOR
IFLASH ONE “I’ve had quite enough of people swiping gear off my bike. This magnetic bike pops off its base so I can thwart thieves and take it with me.“
All images courtesy of the brands
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PIXELS & PRINT
The best of the best in graphics and photos
PHOTOGRAPHY
Product Shots An industrial design duo finds a photographer to create elaborate fantasy worlds for their products
Tineke Beunders and Nathan Wierink know their roles: She’s the dreamer, he’s the mathematician. She hatches a wistful fantasy, and he grounds it in real-world applications. Under the name Ontwerp Duo, the Dutch designers have created interiors, lighting, and furniture for brands like Pode and Vij5. But when it came time to showcase their own collection of products—ranging from a stationery suite to a one-piece wax candle and old-timey holder—they found a collaborator on their wavelength to help their imaginations run wild. CONTINUED
Photos by Lisa Klappe, lisaklappe.com, courtesy of Ontwerp Duo, ontwerpduo.nl
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Pixels & Print
July 2013
PHOTOGRAPHY
(CONTINUED)
ILLUSTRATION
SKWAK THE MANIAC The French illustrator is the master of his own excessive, chaotic, batshit crazy universe BY JEREMY BRAUTMAN
Tineke and Nathan of Ontwerp Duo work with photographer Lisa Klappe to create elaborately staged photographs that display the products they design, like their Unstationary stationery line and Tallow candle.
J
“I WANTED TO MAKE WEIRD, FAIRYTALE-LIKE IMAGES, BUT THE TECHNICAL PART OF PHOTOGRAPHY DIDN’T REALLY INTEREST ME.” with photographer Lisa Klappe, whose own outré approach to design photography matched Beunders’ fantastical vision of the world.
“After I finished my studies as an industrial designer, the dream was to be a photographer,” says Beunders. “I wanted to make weird, fairy-tale-like images, but the technical part of photography didn’t really interest me.” The duo hooked up
“When me and Nathan make new designs for our collection, I am always thinking about how we can ‘catch’ our products on photo. In what kind of weird world do I want to show our products?” Beunders says. “I start designing a world for the products of our collection. I collect stuff, things, locations, and colors to combine with our products in photos. Lisa does this as well. Sometimes I don’t feel like a designer—I feel more like a set designer, using our own collection to make images.” a
Ontwerp Duo photos by Lisa Klappe, lisaklappe.com
im Skwak is the creator of
Maniac World, a colorfully chaotic universe that the French illustrator says is a reflection of our own world of excess. “Each square centimeter has its purpose,” he says. “The characters have personality. The stories I tell have a beginning and an end.”
Skwak has designed vinyl toys, dog collars, water bottles, and clothes with his characters. He’s covered an ice cream truck in them. He’s been tapped by big brands like Microsoft and Nike to put his inimitable stamp on their products, and he launched his own fashion and lifestyle brand in 2012 with the first three Sneakymob boutiques in China. Paris’ Centre Pompidou even commissioned him to create an interactive mural for children. “My job is to reach as many people as possible,” says Skwak. “I find elitism boring. I’m an illustrator, that’s what I do. I am open to anything that broadens my world.” a
July 2013
Pixels & Print
DESIGN BUREAU
Sneakymob sells clothing, hats, and accessories with Skwak’s frenetic designs.
Images courtesy of Jim Skwak, skwak.com
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Pixels & Print
July 2013
TOP 5
ART OF THE TITLE BULLITT
The designers behind film and TV’s best title sequences get Title, a website full of original interviews, essays, and images.
(1968) Title Designer: Pablo Ferro
“As captivating and magnetic as the film’s star, ‘King of Cool’ Steve McQueen, these modernist titles wouldn’t seem at all out of place in a thriller today. Paired with Lalo Schifrin’s hepcat score, the impeccably framed shots wind their way through entry, office, and parking garage, offering confusion as well as clarity with each type transition.” – IAN ALBINSON, FOUNDER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ENTER THE VOID
(2009) Title Designers: Gaspar Noé and Tom Kan
“This punishing title sequence fits squarely into the wheelhouse of a director renowned for his extreme brand of filmmaking. A multilingual, multi-typeface deluge of credits assaults the eyes as acidic electro pounds the ears—and the point—home. Like the film that follows, this title sequence is an exercise in cinematic endurance.” – WILL PERKINS, EDITOR
JOVEN Y ALOCADA
(2012) Title Designer: Pablo González
“A great example of innovation in titles, the teasing end credits to Chilean film Joven y Alocada use the main character’s blog as a backdrop, maintaining the film’s unique narrative voice to the very end. Swathed in a soft rose, the saucy credits gently tug at the viewer with flashes of sensuality, ultimately finishing on the boldest of notes.” – LOLA LANDEKIC, MANAGING EDITOR
GRAND PRIX
(1966) Title Designer: Saul Bass
“While not one of the legendary designer Saul Bass’ more famous title sequences (see Psycho or North by Northwest), the full-throttle intro to John Frankenheimer’s Formula 1 flick Grand Prix offers something a little different. This masterfully assembled montage of prerace preparation features crisply aligned type and a soundtrack of revving motors and beating hearts.” – WILL PERKINS, EDITOR
BLUE VALENTINE
(2010) Title Designers: Jim Helton and Charles Christopher Rubino
“The tendency in evaluating title sequences is often to focus on openings. The closing of Blue Valentine, however, asserts itself as a stunning example of end credits done right. The magnificent sequence instills a poignant sense of closure as well as the notion that a firework, a film, a love, or a life are all just sparks in time.” – LOLA LANDEKIC, MANAGING EDITOR
Images courtesy of Art of the Title, artofthetitle.com
July 2013
Pixels & Print
DESIGN BUREAU
MAGAZINE DESIGN their moment in the spotlight on Art of the We ask the staff for their all-time faves. INGREDIENTS The root of any good meal is to make it with love, but... start with the best ingredients you can get your hands on, add on simple techniques and trade secrets, and voilà! Life just got a lot easier. We’ll bring you recipes that work a.m to p.m., you bring the love.
no better way to baste
you’ll never use a plastic bag again.
handmade wood sandwich board & spreader livewirefarm.com
TOOLS does the job without the extra clanking
silicone brush muji.us
produce bag ecobags.com
rubber whisk available in stores westelm.com for locations
WE FULLY CONDONE USING LEFTOVERS FOR THIS DISH. They pack flavor, and mitigate waste. And that, we love.
Food For Thought Scrumptious photography and a dinnerconversation tone make for a tasty new food magazine BY AMBER GIBSON
I
ssue No. 1 of Good Company, a biannual print and online foodie mag created by Debi Kogan and Bobbi Lin, left us hungry for more. We ask Kogan for the dish.
AG: How is Good Company organized? Debi Kogan: We both love to cook and entertain so it is a foodfocused magazine broken down into categories of people, tools, and ingredients: people who we think are ‘good company’ or are doing something we feel is good in their community, tools that are good to have in your kitchen and make the chore of cooking more fun, and then seasonal recipes that simply work, giving you more time with your company.
AG: What is your design aesthetic? DK: We treat it like an art book or coffee table book. It is very important to us that each spread has a strong visual. We strived to make the whole magazine look like one story visually, using original full-page photographs as our main element. We don’t want a ton of editorial copy or a bunch of ads to interfere with the beauty of the images. AG: What magazines did you draw from in creating Good Company ? DK: Kinfolk has similar values, but we want things bigger and in your face, like you can pick them up. We want to be a portal where people find things. Like Lucky is your source for all things fashion or Lonny, an online magazine, for home decor. We’re not trying to make money selling products. We’re trying to tell the world what we know and feel. a
Images from Good Company issue No. 1 courtesy of Good Company, goodcompanymagazine.com
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Pixels & Print
July 2013
GRAPHIC DESIGN
THE BUSINESS OF DESIGN: ALBUM PACKAGING In the age of the iPod, is there still money to be made making album art? We ask five designers for their take. BY LAUREN SMITH
BRIAN DANAHER St. Paul, Minnesota briandanaher.com “You might expect to be paid little or nothing, especially if it is for an indie band, but these projects present opportunities. Maybe it will be great for your portfolio. Maybe you can use this project in selfpromotion efforts to get more and better work in the industry. Maybe it will get you more technical experience. Maybe you’ll get some recognition, either by winning an award or being featured on a design blog. All of these things need to be considered against the monetary compensation.”
ANTHONY SMYRSKI Philadelphia, Pennsylvania smyrskicreative.com “Album art design can pay anywhere from nothing to tens of thousands of dollars. These days the artwork never actually has to be printed. It might just end up as digital album artwork on Facebook or Spotify. However, there are a lot of people still making cassette tapes and limited edition vinyl and really pouring their hearts into what they make from both a visual and musical standpoint. I think as more things become digital, there will be an increased interest in the tangible.”
From top: Brian Danaher’s packaging for Thou Shalt Have a Time Machine by Rabbit Children; Anthony Smyrski’s packaging for an LP by Jim Houser. Images courtesy of the designers
July 2013
Pixels & Print
DESIGN BUREAU
NAOMI DONABEDIAN Taipei, Taiwan and Brooklyn, New York naomid.net “If you are being approached by a band and not a label, you aren’t going to make as much. I get between $100-$800 for a package. I do contract that if the album re-releases after a certain time period or quantity, I get paid again. Working with a label is usually easy. There is often more of a desire for quality design. If anything I am probably making more money designing vinyl because it has more value to the consumers who buy it. I know I could never charge $50 an hour for the work I put into a jacket. I don’t think bands have money. If you want to make money, go design a website.”
SCOT BENDALL London, UK laboca.co.uk “The scale of pay for album art varies hugely. For similar projects such as book covers or film posters there tends to be fairly steady fee brackets, but for album art we receive all sorts of proposals. We’ve seen fees for cover art reduced considerably in the past few years. We used to be able to run the [La Boca] studio on music projects alone, but we wouldn’t be able to do that today. We’ve also noticed the culture of free-pitching growing within the music industry, and this is never a good sign for designers. Even the major labels have needed to drastically reduce what they spend on both album art and music videos.”
STEVE NISHIMOTO New York, New York nish.net “How much can you make designing album art? I suppose it depends on who it’s for. I assume there was a lot more money to be made in album art design in the pre-digital-music era, but the factoring balance of monetary trade for artistic exposure has always existed. Those who have money and consideration for artists’ work and their time are still spending money on designer album art.”
From top: Naomi Donabedian’s design for A Sunny Day in Glasgow’s Nitetime Rainbows EP; La Boca’s cover art for FaltyDL’s Hardcourage; Steve Nishimoto’s covers for Walter Jones’ Utopiano Project EP (left) and Rub-N-Tug’s Scanners
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Leviathan, 2012, an image from Ketter’s ongoing series Symmetric Settlements
Pixels & Print
July 2013
July 2013
Pixels & Print
DESIGN BUREAU
IMAGE DESIGN
Such Great Heights Clay Ketter stitches satellite images of American tract housing developments into poetic photo works
I
t was on the approach to Washington Dulles Airport some years ago that Clay Ketter spotted from his airplane cabin window the most exquisite pattern of tract houses. “This image haunted me,” says Ketter. Inspired, the artist—born in Maine and based in Sweden since the ’80s—embarked on an ongoing series of large-format photographs made by stitching together and manipulating satellite images. We talk to Ketter about his Symmetric Settlements. CONTINUED
Images courtesy of the artist and Sonnabend Gallery, NY
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Pixels & Print
July 2013
IMAGE DESIGN
(CONTINUED)
Above: Spider Woods, 2012
DB: How do you find your locations? Are these tract developments unique to one country or region? Clay Ketter: We scout on Internet-based satellite imagery sites. Chantilly, Virginia, was the first. Another is made from somewhere around Columbine, Colorado, but I have no special attachment to the sites other than whether or not they stimulate me visually. They are, and continue to be, exclusively American. DB: Do you consider these images more architectural or humanistic? As you create them, are you thinking about the buildings or the people who live inside of them? CK: I would say humanistic. The inhabitants become
fictive, they become mine as soon as the area in question becomes part of my work. These forms are, for me, representative of our striving after perfection in symmetry and singularity, and the pursuit of security and safety through the design and building of so-called ‘gated communities.’ There are no prospects in the Settlements. No roads for entering or leaving. These communities are sealed, enclosed within themselves, perhaps in order to keep trouble out of bounds—but not reflecting on the risk that they are also perhaps enclosing other troubles within. I am fascinated by enclosure, by the sealed and finite nature of some
Images courtesy of the artist and Sonnabend Gallery, NY
things, and our striving after such things. DB: The tension between the natural and manmade landscapes is palpable in these images—is that something you consciously set out to explore? CK: My work is a consideration of the world around me—that is, the world we have made for ourselves, and not the so-called ‘natural’ world. For me, this world is very much about human nature. I generally find traces of human nature to be more telling, more illustrative and profound, than actual living examples of human nature. The human condition, the human project, becomes somehow more readable for me this way. a
“THESE COMMUNITIES ARE SEALED, PERHAPS IN ORDER TO KEEP TROUBLE OUT— BUT PERHAPS ENCLOSING OTHER TROUBLES WITHIN.”
OBJECTS & GEAR
Things that make us drool, covet, and go broke
LIGHTING
Geared Up Old bike parts get a new life in these quirky chandeliers BY KATHRYN FREEMAN RATHBONE
CONTINUED
i
Photos courtesy of Carolina Fontoura Alzaga
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Objects & Gear
LIGHTING
July 2013
(CONTINUED)
I
t all started with a semantic accident. “I had the idea to make a mobile from bike parts, but instead of calling it a mobile, I called it a chandelier,” says Carolina Fontoura Alzaga, the Los Angeles designer behind the Connect series chandeliers. Her pieces, made from reclaimed bicycle parts, add a new twist to the term upcycled and a new take on the traditional chandelier. She walks us through her design/build process. KFR: What kinds of bike parts do you use in your chandeliers? Carolina Fontoura Alzaga: There are three parts: bike rims, bike chains, and cassettes, which are the gears on bikes that I break apart. KFR: Let’s talk about structure—how do you hold all the pieces together? CFA: The first eight chandeliers I made used cable columns. I basically stacked the parts and held them together with cable and metal clamps. Now that the pieces are much bigger, they need to be 100 percent solid and secure. Lamp parts are more rigid; I use them for the structure. I’m also learning how to weld. A friend who’s a structural engineer welds my pieces, and I’m learning by completely overseeing that process.
KFR: Even though they’re made from bike parts, your chandeliers don’t look grungy. How do you clean up the parts? CFA: I get my chains from 50 local sources, so some have more wear and tear than others, depending on where they’re from in the city. I do everything by hand. I throw the chains into a bucket of degreaser for a few weeks, and then I scrub and dry them by hand and break them to size. My rims I source from junkyards. I degrease them, hand-dry them, hand-sand them, prime them a couple times, then paint them a couple times. I always use black paint. The pieces are in varying states of decay, and the black gives them a visual cohesion. It’s elegant. a
Carolina Fontoura Alzaga sources old bike chains and parts from 50 local sources to build her Connect chandeliers by hand in her Los Angeles studio. products are elegant yet edgy.
Connect chandeliers by Carolina Fontoura Alzaga, price upon request, facaro.com. Photos by Patricia Alpizar (top right), James Mann (bottom right), Jonathan Valls (middle left), and courtesy of Carolina Fontoura Alzaga
July 2013
Objects & Gear
DESIGN BUREAU
urban helmets Designer helmets for city folk keep the ol’ noggin safe and looking cool, too
SAHN
NUTCASE
Face it, you don’t need an ultraaggressive racing helmet to ride to your graphic design job. This new Vancouver company nails the sophisticated, urban look. $129, sahn.cc
Portland-based Nutcase’s impossible-to-ignore helmets feature a magnetic buckle for one-handed use and a rear dial for custom fit. $60, nutcasehelmets.com
YAKKAY Must match your helmet to your dress? Danish brand Yakkay designs chic interchangeable covers with materials like herringbone wool and Swarovski Elements to swap onto its hard helmets. Sets from $140, yakkay.com
OVERADE Carrying around a bulky bike helmet can be the hardest part of being an urban cycler—no more when Overade’s innovative folding helmet hits France this summer, with a U.S. launch planned thereafter. From $105, overade.com
SAWAKO FURUNO Tokyo-born, Londonbased Sawako Furuno originally trained as an architect— considering the gorgeous helmets she now makes, we would have guessed fashion designer. $100-$130, sawakofuruno.com
Helmet photos courtesy of the brands
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Objects & Gear
BAR GEAR
Lush Life Summer is cocktail season—better make sure your bar cart is up to par. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZACK BURRIS STYLING BY MIRIAM BOULEANU
RECIPE Scofflaw Old Tom Punch 1.5 oz Scofflaw Old Tom Gin .75 oz lime .5 oz honey syrup (1 : 1) .25 oz Gran Classico Bitter Combine ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain into vintage cocktail coupe. Steel and glass bar cart, $4,150, and bottle opener, $50, by Gentner, Chicago, IL, gentnerdesign.com. Vintage seltzer bottle, $95, glassware, $19, ice bucket, $45, and bar knife, $12, from Brimfield, Chicago, brimfieldus. com. Scofflaw Old Tom Gin (750ml), $35, at Scofflaw, Chicago, scofflawchicago.com. Silver tray and quartz cutting board, price on request, at Jayson Home, Chicago, jaysonhome.com. Restaurant White cocktail napkins, $10 for 8, by CB2, cb2.com, with embroidery by Shirts Illustrated, Chicago, shirtsillustrated. com. Vintage Playboy from Isle of Man, Chicago, iomamerica.com.
July 2013
July 2013
Objects & Gear
DESIGN BUREAU
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DESIGN BUREAU
Objects & Gear
July 2013
Q+A
AUTO DESIGN
Dreams Electric Cars of
BENOIT JACOB
Head of BMW i Design
DB: The BMW i series is an evolution for BMW in many ways— can you tell us about the design choices that set this line apart? Benoit Jacob: The i3 is compact in form and, with its very short overhangs, sports an extremely agile look. Its clean surfaces lend it a highly futuristic appearance while at the same time exuding hallmark BMW precision.
BMW looks to revolutionize electric car design for the megacity of the future as its i3 goes from lofty concept to ready-to-drive reality BY JOHN F. RIZOR
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istorically, the name BMW has conjured images of unbridled speeds on open roads. But with more of the world’s population living in dense urban areas instead of cruising the autobahn through the countryside, the automaker is looking to change its game in a big way. For nine months, a think tank led by Dr. Ulrich Kranz traveled the world, interviewing architects and urban planners and studying metropolitan areas. Looking to revolutionize the design, performance, construction, driving experience, and life cycle of electric cars, the brand launched the ‘BMW i’ concept in 2011. The i series electric vehicles are designed with BMW’s LifeDrive architecture, which divides the vehicle body into a lightweight,
carbon-fiber reinforced plastic passenger “life module” (notably, the first vehicle line in history to use the material), and a 100 percent aluminum “drive module” holding the lithium ion battery and the guts of the car. Lowering the vehicle’s center of gravity, this design allows increased agility, and coupled with very un-BMW body contours and aggressive styling, not only sets it apart from its brand lineage, but also from other electric cars on the market today. 2013 will see the release of the first concept in the series in Europe, the 170 horsepower i3, with other countries to follow. The stylish all-electric hatchback zooms to 60 mph in less than eight seconds with nada emissions from the tailpipe, and a 100-mile range on the battery—making it one lean, mean, and green machine. a
For more information, visit bmw-i.com. Images courtesy of BMW, bmw.com
DB: It is deeply contoured, with two-tone colors, something not many people would associate with BMW. Did you consciously want it to stand apart from anything else? BJ: The strong color contrasts are intended to showcase the aspect of lightweight design. The graphical sections of the bodywork make the car appear visually lighter. Plus, the twotone look naturally lends the vehicles a high recognition value in traffic. The black band is one of the most important exterior design features of the model. Taillights are integrated into the black band and project their light from within that dark surface. It gives the rear a very modern and clean aspect. DB: How does the look of the cabin interior relate to the look of the exterior of the vehicle? BJ: We designed the interior to provide maximum space on a minimal road footprint. As the battery is located in the floor of the ‘Drive’ module, there’s no center tunnel bisecting the cabin. The whole of the ‘Life’ module is thus available to the car’s occupants, opening up an utterly new sense of interior space—the feeling of being inside a modern, mobile living space that allows both flexibility and communication.
July 2013
Objects & Gear
DESIGN BUREAU
Picnic Time Hit the park for some awesome outdoor parties before climate change destroys the summer!
london life Chabatree’s teak wood utensil sets are hand-carved in Thailand. $42, merchant4.com
jambox Share tunes with Yves Béhar’s palmsize speaker. From $130, jawbone.com
baggy winecoat Because wine in a Scandinaviandesigned bag is so much classier than wine in a box. $63, menudesignshop.com
Croquet Set Enjoy the game of royalty and hipsters with this sleek teak set. $735, dwr.com
Hopper table Dine out at this super-sleek picnic table from Extremis. From $9,068, unicahome.com
first supply German design firm XXD folds the picnic essentials into this compact nylon kit. $40, designtip.de
Kissing Stags Anorak's picnic blanket is waterproof and rolls up tight. $54, anorakonline.co.uk
table grill Eva Solo lets you look stylin’ while you’re grilling weiners. $295, aplusrstore.com
All images courtesy of the brands
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Objects & Gear
AUDIO FILES
On the Record Spin the black circle in style with these highdesign turntables
July 2013
THORENS TD 309 TRI-BALANCE With a unique threepoint suspension, this turntable is breaking ground in both functionality and, with its arousing contours, aesthetics. $1,999, available at Rutherford Audio, Seattle, rutherfordaudio.com
BY LAUREN SMITH
EAT FORTE S Czech company Euro Audio Team’s Forte S takes your ears to a new level of luxury. With its doubled diameter, this turntable has four times more effective sound. $6,010, euroaudioteam.com
ROKSAN RADIUS MKII With its polished stainless steel feet and exposed silicone drive belt, this highend turntable makes for easy listening that’s also easy on the eyes. $2,750, needledoctor.com
All images courtesy of the brands
PRO-JECT AUDIO DEBUT CARBON In an assortment of candied colored finishes, this beaut incorporates a new carbon tube, upping rigidness and diminishing bothersome static. $399, needledoctor.com
FASHION & BEAUTY
Because style never goes out of‌ style
MAKEUP DESIGN
Skin Deep A Russian fashion photographer and makeup artist are a match made in some strange heaven BY GEM BARTON
CONTINUED
Photos by Alexander Khokhlov, ax-foto.ru; makeup by Valeriya Kutsan
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Fashion & Beauty
July 2013
MAKEUP DESIGN
”IT WAS SIMULTANEOUSLY SIMPLE, STYLISH, ILLUSIONARY, EFFECTIVE, AND WEIRD.”
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ussian fashion photographer Alexander Khokhlov and makeup artist Valeriya Kutsan had been working together on a new calendar when the inspiration to create a series of experiments with monochromatic face art struck. Titling the 15-portrait series “Weird Beauty” (after the first letters of ‘white’ and ‘black’), the delicate yet powerful images are the product of a painstaking process. Kutsan spends up to three hours with a model ensuring complete perfection from all angles Khokhlov shoots. First they paint her face white, creating a fresh canvas on which to apply symbols ranging from cheeky (a Mickey Mouse face), to startling (a corset), to timely (a QR code) in bold black makeup. “I was impressed by the way that simple forms and real human faces can collaborate with each other,” Khokhlov says. “It was simultaneously simple, stylish, illusionary, effective, and weird.” a
Weird Beauty photos by Alexander Khokhlov, ax-foto.ru; makeup by Valeriya Kutsan
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Fashion & Beauty
July 2013
ONE TO WATCH
HELL-BENT FOR LEATHER Arina Pritch, the smart and savvy young designer behind Pritch London, scores with a leather line that’s both badass and high-class BY GEM BARTON
GB: You’re young and you design leather fashion—should we assume a rock ’n’ roll lifestyle drives the direction of your collections? Arina Pritch: I would not say that I am a party girl, but it is the fashion world—you just have to party to be there. I get inspired more by the multilayered personality of a woman. People today are very secret; they change depending on the environment, like a chameleon. I call them ‘rebellious in a conservative society.’ The whole concept of Pritch London is mixing something that doesn’t mix—to be on the edge between classic and rock ’n’ roll, sharp and soft.
GB: Tell us about your design process. AP: I have never actually studied design; however, I’ve been drawing since the age of 5 and I have had some great ideas—according to my parents, anyway. My design process can start on a napkin or by playing with leather on the mannequin. Each style is modified many times through its journey. GB: Why leather? AP: It is always on-trend, always fashionable, always wanted. I am planning to use silk, linen, and other more ‘summery’ materials for our spring/summer 2014 collection. However, it is very difficult to mix materials with leather due to the hard craftsmanship. a
Photos by Gabor Szantai, gaborszantai.co.uk. Stylist: Rachel Gold, rachelgold.com. Models: Heather Miranda Driver and Jerry-Jane Pears. Arina Pritch portrait by Gabor Szantai. To order: sales@pritchlondon.com
ARINA’S FIRSTS & FAVORITES
Favorite designer? Karl Lagerfeld and Alexander McQueen First item of clothing you ever made? A leather jacket Favorite place to shop? Religion in London, religionclothing.co.uk
July 2013
Fashion & Beauty
In the Hot Suit London-based swimwear label Moeva draws inspiration from the beauty of women’s bodies BY GEM BARTON
CONTINUED
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Fashion & Beauty
July 2013
July 2013
SUMMER STYLE
Fashion & Beauty
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rchitectural shapes, metal detailing, and innovative design—these aren’t the first adjectives that come to mind when describing a swimwear line, but Moeva has made it its mission to rethink the way we look at beach attire. And with its bold color combos and sexy cutouts, the British brand can also add “showstopper” to its long list of descriptors. “There is a thin line between looking elegant and provocative,” says lead designer Burcu Togay. “With Moeva, we always wanted to make sure we are on the right side of the line. Even though swimwear modestly covers the body, we aim to do it in the most chic way possible.”
Togay says the spring/summer 2013 collection used beauty icons throughout history as a source of inspiration—think Brigitte Bardot, Ursula Andress, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, and Marilyn Monroe. “As elegance and beauty is eternal, we wanted to create a collection for ladies who want to be remembered.” Those who want to make a fashion splash at the beach this year should act quickly, though, as Moeva’s collections are each produced in a limited run. In Togay’s eyes, that means they’re putting the spotlight on the real star. “Contrary to some brands,” he says, “we prefer to feature the beauty of the female body with our products, instead of giving the swimsuit the leading role.” a
Photos by Koray Parlak, korayparlak.com. Stylists: Burcu Togay, Yagmur Zirh. Model: Nadia Serlidou Priced from $190-$410, moeva.com
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Fashion & Beauty
July 2013
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Surf Style
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If you still look like something out of Point Break when you hit the waves, consider updating your surfwear wardrobe with these designer rash guards, board shorts, and more
1. Skulls Rash Guard by PretĂ -Surf, $190, pretasurf.com 2. Wetsuit Bag by BAGGU, $120, baggu.com
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3. Mesh Combo Tank, $140, and Chino Shorts, $189, by Opening Ceremony, openingceremony.us 4. Long Board Shorts by Bantu, made in Ethiopia, $125, openingceremony.us 5. Flourishing Snake Rashie by Zimmermann, $195, shopbop.com
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6. Metallic Wetsuit by Cynthia Rowley, $295, cynthiarowley.com 7. Del Mar Rash Guard, $100, Neoprene Zip Jacket (collaboration with Reunion), $220, by Seea, theseea.com 8. Surf Bells Rash Guard by Basta, $194, madewell.com 9. 9
Images courtesy of the brands
by Seea, theseea.com
TRAVEL & CULTURE
Eat, shop, explore, do what you do
INSTALLATION
String Theory Jeongmoon Choi creates dazzling UV-illuminated installations with wool thread coated in fluorescent paint This Berlin-based painter was looking to transcend the planar restrictions of the canvas when she discovered the possibilities of illuminated string. We get the story behind Choi’s trippy installations. CONTINUED
Photos courtesy of Jeongmoon Choi, jeongmoon.de
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Travel & Culture
July 2013
INSTALLATION
(CONTINUED)
“Architecture has always fascinated me—the act of creative transformation of space,” says Choi. She has designed mesmerizing indoor and outdoor installations that show a keen interaction with the architecture of spaces.
“I ALWAYS DREAMED I’D BE ABLE TO WALK THROUGH MY WORK.”
DB: What do people walk away from your work thinking or feeling? Jeongmoon Choi: I want to inspire a ‘dialogue of perspectives’ in the spectator. The fluorescent threads seem like a laser beam in a dark room. Visitors are initially confused, oftentimes they are put in a meditative state. They tend to spend a long time in the room within the installation, naturally changing perspectives, interacting with it from many angles. DB: Has anyone ever tripped over the threads? JC: This happens. Not very often, fortunately. It takes some time until the viewers realize that the installation consists of fragile threads. When they do, they become very careful. Some still touch the threads, to feel the tension.
Photos courtesy of Jeongmoon Choi, jeongmoon.de
DB: If you could create a thread installation in any famous place in the world, where would it be? JC: I have a dream of a huge UV illuminated installation symbolizing sewing back together the two Korean nations, right along the border between North and South Korea—an illuminated line of thread, symbolizing a seam. I also could imagine setting up a huge pyramid right next to the original ones in Egypt or South America, consisting purely of lines and light. Viewers could actually get inside those and feel the inner dimensions. a
July 2013
Travel & Culture
DESIGN BUREAU
claro SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTIST
Jess LaRotonda
development
Providing single source, comprehensive real estate property development solutions.
www.clarocorp.com 305.324.4700
RETAIL DESIGN
Sweet Shop The decor at IPPOLITA’s new flagship is a visual treat
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ith collections like “Rock Candy” and “Lollipop,” it’s no surprise that Italian jewelry brand IPPOLITA’s new Madison Avenue flagship is the adult equivalent of a candy store. Under the direction of brand founder Ippolita Rostagno, fashion retail architecture and design firm Jeffrey Hutchison & Associates incorporated natural and hand-worked materials, including plaster finish on the walls, hand-carved bronze, and hammered brass metal embellishments that echo the jewelry’s sculptural elements. Challenged by the store’s small square footage, the team focused on a few key elements, including the large metal and glass armoires. “It creates the right balance of interest without overwhelming the product,” Hutchison says. The focal point is a one-of-a-kind chandelier bursting with hand-sculpted porcelain flowers created by local artist Jess LaRotonda. “Ippolita wanted to create a sculptural centerpiece that would be a counterpoint to the rest of the store,” Hutchison says. Like the store’s stunning wares, the decadent chandelier is a treat for the eyes. a
New York City sculptor and recent New York Academy of Art grad Jess LaRotonda is skilled in the three “P”s: plastic, plaster, and porcelain. LaRotonda uses these and other textural materials to create her intricate three-dimensional sculptures, including the porcelain-flower chandelier for the IPPOLITA flagship. The idea for the chandelier hatched when LaRotonda first met Ippolita Rostagno at the Tribeca Ball, an annual event hosted at the New York Academy of Art. LaRotonda’s ceramic flowers were on display and caught the eye of Rostagno, who later contacted LaRotonda about creating something similar for her store. The resulting sculpture, made of thousands of porcelain flowers, took about three months to complete. (LaRotonda spent two days on-site to custom fit the fixture.) It was time well spent for the artist, who says the positive reactions to her first major installation have been the best reward: “Maybe it’s a little cheesy to say, but that’s my favorite part. I created this object, and it exists to make people happy.”
Owner’s Representatives
Project Managers
A hand-sculpted chandelier forms the main design focal point at IPPOLITA.
Photo by Michael Weschler Photography, michaelweschler.com; portrait by Maria Teicher of EverydayEros Studios
Design Builders
DESIGN BUREAU
Travel & Culture
July 2013
ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP
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Oslo Opera House photo by Jens Passoth, courtesy of Snøhetta, snoarc.no; The Thief photo courtesy of Design Hotels, designhotels.com; Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion photo by diephotodesigner.de, courtesy of Snøhetta; Troll Wall Restaurant photo by Dag Terje Alnes, courtesy of Reiulf Ramstad Architects, reiulframstadarkitekter.no
July 2013
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DESIGN BUREAU
ROMSDAL 4. TROLL WALL RESTAURANT
Even if you don’t have show tickets you can take a behind-thescenes tour of this amazing opera house by architecture firm Snøhetta, whose award-winning design democratizes the idea of ‘going to the opera’ by turning the exterior building into a public pavilion. Visitors can walk up the slanted marble ceiling, peer into the glass façade at the undulating oak walls in the lobby, and take in the panoramic rooftop views of the contemporary architecture springing up all around this area of the capital.
This roadside visitor’s center and restaurant doesn’t exactly offer fine dining, but your jaw is going to be wide open the entire time anyway once you’re confronted with Reiulf Ramstad Architects’ sharp glass peaks, an artful homage to the sheer mountains it looks out onto. Be sure to take a nice relaxing base jump off the tallest vertical rock face in Europe after lunch.
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2. THE THIEF HOTEL A hotel in the capital’s spanking-new Tjuvholmen district can’t be a slouch in the design department. Especially when it’s adjacent to a new modern art museum by architect Renzo Piano. The former waterfront industrial area now showcases stunning contemporary European architecture in a car-free cluster of high-end restaurants, galleries, and homes. Thankfully, interiors at the 200-room Thief, a member of Design Hotels, exceed expectations. A partnership with the Norwegian Center for Design and Architecture means up-and-coming furniture designers from the region will rotate pieces through the hotel yearly, putting their work alongside international names like Tom Dixon and Boca do Lobo. Carefully curated original art and decor in each guest room adds to the hotel’s bespoke look. Rates from $350. Bookings at designhotels.com
Travel & Culture
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3. NORWEGIAN WILD REINDEER CENTRE PAVILION Beloved for its magnificent Oslo Opera House, Snøhetta can also do incredible things with a tiny reindeer observation pavilion on the outskirts of Dovrefjell National Park. The architecture firm combined 21st-century technology with the traditional techniques of local Norwegian ship builders to create the structure’s rippling pine wood core. Just stop gawking at it every once in a while to throw a little attention to the reindeer.
C.F. Møller Architects took inspiration from this town’s aweinspiring neighbor Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier on the European mainland, for its award-winning design resembling a sparkling block of fractured ice. After moving through four floors of arts and crafts collections you’re rewarded with a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains from the rooftop terrace.
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You’ve got to really want it to head this close to the top of the earth, but hardy road trippers will be rewarded with another one-of-a-kind roadside rest stop from Reiulf Ramstad Architects. Sinuous ribbons of concrete are designed to really put visitors in the moment as they wind their way down to the lunar-looking surface of the Selvika Bay.
Sogn & Fjordane Art Museum photos by Oddleiv Apneseth, courtesy of C.F. Møller Architects, cfmoller.com; National Tourist Route Havøysund photo by Jiri Havran/Statens vegvesen and Route Trollstigen (following page) photos by diephotodesigner.de, both courtesy of Reiulf Ramstad Architects
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ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP
July 2013
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ROMSDAL NATIONAL TOURIST ROUTE TROLLSTIGEN Want dramatic? Off the famed Trollstigen tourist road, Reiulf Ramstad Architects perched zigzagging concrete pathways lined with Corten steel and glass along the precipitous mountains, leading to some of the most fantastic overlooks in the country. The angular concrete block restaurant/ gallery overlooking a gently cascading water feature is nothing to sneeze at either. Yeah, you’re never coming home.
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July 2013
Travel & Culture
DESIGN BUREAU
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Travel & Culture
July 2013
HOTEL DESIGN
Kings of the Beach
Big-name designers and bright, sexy interiors make these Florida and Caribbean hotels worth the trip BY AMBER GIBSON
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Freehand MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA This is not your horror movie hostel. Roman and Williams, the interior design firm behind New York’s Ace Hotel, made sure of that. The first location of a budding brand, Miami’s Freehand is a highend hostel with plush bunk beds that are a far cry from college dorm rooms. Both private and shared accommodations are available, with custom artwork and furniture in a modern maritime theme. Think early-’60s pool party scenes à la Catch Me If You Can amidst ’30s art deco buildings. Formerly the historic Indian Creek Hotel, the revamped space is low-key but eclectic, welcoming everyone from hipsters to families with toddlers in tow. thefreehand.com
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W Retreat & Spa VIEQUES ISLAND, PUERTO RICO Just off the coast of Puerto Rico, the rustically luxurious W Retreat & Spa bears the mark of its designer—Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola—the moment you step into the resort’s whimsical living room. Oversize pillows are scattered over avantgarde furniture made from recycled materials in the airy common space, and a map of the island (hand-painted by Urquiola herself) is the focal point. Throughout the
Freehand photos by Adrian Gaut; W photos courtesy of W Retreat & Spa – Vieques Island
156-room property, rainbow pops of color play against natural beige tones found in reclaimed wood walls, plush beige Moroso sofas, custom Canasta chairs, and Tiger Eye area rugs. Urquiola designed several exclusive installations for the hotel, including painted steel “Vieques” tubs in guest bathrooms—so cool that one was displayed at the Museum of Applied Art in Cologne, Germany. wvieques.com
July 2013
Travel & Culture
DESIGN BUREAU
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Postcard Inn ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA You can flip-flop your way from surfer-casual poolside cabanas to your retro-cool room without seeing a single design misstep at this renovated 1960s motor lodge. Chris Sheffield and Kate Rohrer of SLDesign don’t challenge the beach views, but rather accent them in comfortable rooms complete with surfboards jauntily propped in the corner, photo murals of local surfers across the headboard, and colorful striped banquettes. Design accents like stenciled concrete floors in the two-story lobby and tables fabricated from reclaimed driftwood make communal spaces cozy, and the authentic atmosphere gets a nonchalant nautical elegance from one particularly cool piece: Sheffield and Rohrer bought all the cotton rope they could find in Tampa and spent 12 hours installing a 1,000-foot-long macramé element of rope, lights, and handdyed string to dangle from the lobby ceiling. postcardinn.com
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Soho Beach House MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA Miami Beach is crowded, but you can’t miss Shulman + Associates’ pristine 16-story white oceanfront tower. Part hotel and part private club, the 50-room Soho Beach House high-rise encompasses the new tower and a restoration of the 1941 Sovereign Hotel. Each floor of the new building terraces upward for an edgy, urban feel. “The challenge was to try to connect the landscape, sky, and water all around,” says Allan Shulman, principal building designer and architect. “I think we really did that by multiplying the amount of landscapes in the building.” Shulman seamlessly blends indoors with the outdoors; the entire glass wall of tower units opens up to give guests an unparalleled view of the ocean.
“In the new building, you feel like you’re on a terrace because your view is bounded only by the horizon,” he says. “In the old building, you were in more of a picture frame, looking out the window. Here you really feel like you’re on the ocean. Those are two very different experiences.” Shulman connects the two structures with a few similarities in design. “They’re both white, planar, and taut in quality and there are little quotations that refer back and forth between the two. The tower core of the new building is ribbed and detached in the same way as the old. I really wanted to find the alter ego of the existing building, to speak to a contemporary generation,” he says. sohobeachhouse.com
Postcard Inn photos by Eric Laignel; Soho Beach House photos by Robin Hill
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Travel & Culture
July 2013
RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT
A NEW LIGHT A SPANISH DECO LANDMARK GETS A NEW LOOK IN THE LAND OF DESERT MODERNISM BY PENELOPE BARTLETT
WHAT: Workshop Kitchen + Bar WHERE: Palm Springs, California WHO: SOMA Architects and .PSLAB light design
Photos courtesy of .PSLAB, pslab.net
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estled in the design district of downtown Palm Springs, Workshop Kitchen + Bar offers an urban, sophisticated ambience in a town steeped in retro charm. SOMA Architects, known for its projects in Manhattan and Lebanon, completely reimagined the Spanish Deco style of the building, opting for 27-foot-high cathedral-like ceilings, streamlined booth seating separated by soaring cement panels, and a sleek cement communal table running through the center of the restaurant. What enlivens the deliberately brutalist interior, though—other than chef Michael Beckman’s menu of bright and flavorful small plates and craft cocktails—is Beirut-based lighting studio .PSLAB’s warm, industrial-chic exposed bulb lighting scheme. Blackened copper plated steel rods dangle in strict lines over the bar and communal dining areas, and table-mounted fixtures add to the intimate feeling in private booths. “The goal was both to complement the modernist aesthetic,” says .PSLAB principal Lara Noujaim, “and to lend the polished concrete, painted brick, and dark wood interior a softer ambience at the same time.” a
July 2013
Travel & Culture
DESIGN BUREAU
Stevens Point Log Homes RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT
LOCALLY SOURCED FARM-FRESH FOOD MEETS URBAN SALVAGE AT FARMHOUSE
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he cuisine at Chicago’s Farmhouse restaurant may be sourced from nearby farms, but it’s likely that the table itself came from just down the street. Nearly all of the interior furnishings and materials in the restaurant were salvaged from around the city.
“Everything at Farmhouse is farm-to-table, so we wanted the interior of the space to feel just as authentic as their food,” says interior designer Pam Grossman Guerin of G2 Design Studios. “The design was a very organic process with the owners. Basically, we just tried to find cool stuff.” Sourcing materials for the space turned into an urban treasure hunt for Guerin and the owners, who unearthed gems like salvaged pieces from a furniture factory on the South Side and antique lamp-maker forms that Guerin turned into bare-wire pendant lights. But perhaps their coolest find was a 1950s “Bevador,” a giant missile-shaped beer cooler that the team discovered at a mechanic’s shop. The vintage cooler now stocks Farmhouse’s selection of craft brews—local ones, naturally. a
We supply designers, architects and industry leaders with the highest quality log material to We supplycommercial designers, architects and projects. industry complete or residential leaders with the highest quality log material to Stevens Log Homes is the projects. leading completePoint commercial or residential manufacturer of kiln dried true half log siding Stevens Log Homes is the leading along withPoint a complete line of log accessories. manufacturer of kiln dried true half log siding along with a complete line of log accessories.
Outside of Chicago, Guerin’s work can be seen in cozy Italian spot Biaggi’s in Carmel, Indiana. “The goal of the design is to make diners feel at home,” Guerin says. “The owner wanted this particular space to feel homey without being overwhelming, and to be a place where anyone could come.” Guerin used warm, rich materials and finishes like caramel-colored paint, honey-hued wood, and comfy leather on the seating banquettes to create a space where a couple on a date and family with kids both feel at home—making things “family style” at Biaggi’s in more ways than one.
Farmhouse photos by Kevin Atkinson; Biaggi’s photos by Matt Edwards, Redcorn Studios, redcornstudios.com
877-646-8564 / aaron@pointlogs.com
loghomesofwisconsin.com
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Travel & Culture
July 2013
BAR DESIGN
Country Comfort A lodge-style lounge serves up Old Fashioneds with a side of homespun charm
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amp Bar has everything you’d expect from a rustic retreat in the woods. But this cozy watering hole is not in the wilderness, it’s in a Milwaukee suburb. “It goes back to the owners’ desire to have a piece of northern Wisconsin in their daily life,” says architect Josh Wadzinski of Wade Weissmann Architecture. “People around here grew up going to that area, so it’s something they can relate to.” To capture what Wadzinski calls the “northwoods aesthetic,” Wade Weissmann Architecture
and Peabody’s Interiors used authentic materials like chandeliers made from real antlers, vintage signage from northern Wisconsin, and a dizzying variety of wood. Giant timber logs are suspended from the ceiling to make the space cozy but not claustrophobic, while the polished wood walls, seating banquettes, and tables are all treated with different stains, paints, and patterns for variety. The cabin-bar concept was so popular that Camp recently expanded to include a new bar and back room, additional seating, and an extra-large fireplace. Just don’t forget to bring your own s’mores. a
Photo by David Bader
The logs used for Camp Bar underwent a kiln drying process to achieve the authentic looking rustic hewn finish. Provided by Stevens Point Log Homes, the logs were carefully crafted to fit seamlessly into Weissmann’s design. “We explained the log options that could work and customized the material to meet the project’s aesthetic requirements,” says company president Richard Smigaj. “Kiln drying plays a critical role in producing this high-quality product.”
Peabody’s Interiors knew just how to recreate the look of the owners’ nothern Wisconsin cabin at Camp Bar because the firm designed the vacation home. “We used a lot of the same primary colors and textures,” lead interior designer Greg Holm says. “In keeping with the woodsy feel of the cabin, we had custom tables and the bar top made out of live-edge pine, chairs out of hickory with natural bark, fabrics that were inspired by the Native Indian tribes of Wisconsin, and chandeliers made of naturally shed antlers.”
8655 N. Deerwood Drive ! Brown Deer, WI 53209 ! 414.962.4550 ! peabodysinteriors.com
STRUCTURES & SPACES
Enviable interiors to shamelessly ogle
GET THE LOOK
Summer Inside Take a color cue from these brightly hued hotels and homes BY KATIE TANDY New York City-based architects Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat have a slew of understated, neutral-hued projects under their belt, but it’s their rainbowlike spaces that have most captured people’s imaginations. CONTINUED
Stamberg Aferiat + Associates’ Shelter Island Pavilion was cool in naked aluminum, but when the architects added color it received raves in major publications worldwide
Shelter Island Pavilion photos by PaulWarchol, warcholphotography.com, courtesy of Stamberg Aferiat + Associates, stambergaferiat.com
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Fuchsia and orange take center stage in the Saguaro hotel in Scottsdale, providing an eye-catching foil to both the architecture and the interior design. The lush hues pop against the surrounding foliage of palm trees and the cool teal waters of the pool while inside yellow, glowing crimson, and creamsicle orange look sumptuous against lacy white orbs of light. In the Saguaro Palm Springs, each balcony features a vertical stripe of color, creating an arresting effect externally, but informing the hues inside each guest room as well.
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nown for their work on The Saguaro hotels in Scottsdale and Palm Springs, the architects’ use of color is always purposeful, in this case serving as an homage to the array of wildflowers on the surrounding desert landscape. But outside of their professional projects, the couple’s own home on Shelter Island, New York, is equally as bright, a brilliant riff on Mies’ Barcelona pavilion but with textured corrugated aluminum walls painted in oranges, pinks, and greens, and with equally vibrant decor choices inside. Although they both agree they “pushed the boundaries that few would dare,” Stamberg and Aferiat’s colorful choices were steeped in meticulous color theory. The result is a wonderland for the eye, guided by Newtonian principles of light, which explores how color behaves differently if created by pigment or light.
“THAT’S THE GREAT THING ABOUT PAINT. IF YOU MESS UP, YOU JUST PAINT OVER IT.”
Stamberg and Aferiat recognize bold colors are often best wielded by professionals, yet they do urge adventurous “design laymen” to go forth with colorful confidence, even if they make a few mistakes along the way. “Don’t use too much color,” Stamberg advises, “but don’t be afraid in choosing what you choose. Interior spaces, by definition, can lack natural light. Using colors that have a lot of light reflecting off of them will transform the space. And don’t think of color as just a color. Color is really a spectrum of light that
Saguaro photos by Tim Street-Porter, timstreetporterphotography.com
you can subtly manipulate to enhance how a room is perceived.” And don’t be afraid if it’s not perfect on the first try, they warn. “When we were painting our own loft, which I believe has 14 colors, there was one green in a relatively small area that went up and we realized that it was a few shades off,” says Aferiat. “It was modified within an hour. That’s the great thing about paint. If you mess up, you can just paint over it.” a
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OUTDOOR STYLE
How Does Your Garden Grow? A landscape designer weighs in on garden design styles BY MARGOT BRODY
PAINT IT BOLD Color adds character to a small space
When interior designer and color connoisseur Lisa Teague downsized to a 600-square-foot home on the New Hampshire Seacoast, she originally envisioned white walls with beachy accents. After a trip to Guatemala, however, the palette took a 180-degree turn. “I’ve always wanted to be able to live in a white house because I really admire that aesthetic, but I’ve learned I feel best when I walk into a space and feel soothed by a lot of color and warmth,” she says. Teague brings that warmth to her no-VOC, organic paint line, Quiet Home Paints, which she started after suffering from health issues caused by the oils in decorative paints. Teague shares how she used color to enliven her own home. a
The kitchen’s chalkboard wall is Quiet Home Paint’s Vintage Tux (all colors are available in chalkboard paint). “Darker colors cause a space to recede,” says Teague. Open shelving instead of cabinets keeps the small space from feeling top-heavy, while down below, the antique pine floor warms the room up. Floors in a dark color ground a space, says Teague, “so that everything else seems to float above it.”
The palette for Teague’s study came from peony bushes and a yard-sale mirror her daughter painted orange and pink when she was a teenager. The Peony wall color from Quiet Home Paints is complemented by the hand-painted leaf designs in the color Jump. Teague advises clients to be brave with color: “Paint is the least expensive part of a renovation,” she says. “Buy samples to see how it looks in different light.” Another tip? Put color above to blur the contrast between wall and ceiling and make the room look bigger.
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t’s easy to spot the difference between traditional and contemporary design aesthetics when it comes to an armchair or a coffee table. But, as California-based landscape designer Nancy Favier of GH Design will tell you, the style divide is not as cut and dried when categorizing, say, an olive tree or a palm frond. Favier, who designs landscapes of all visual varieties, shares her approach to styling outdoor areas.
MB: What’s the difference between traditional and modern landscapes? Nancy Favier: They aren’t so different to me. I see all plants in terms of texture, color, structure, and scale. Clients, however, can have preconceived ideas. One client who spent his childhood along the Mediterranean coast told me he hated the olive tree because it’s too traditional. A week later, another client told me that he hated them because they are so contemporary. MB: Should your garden’s style match your home? NF: Landscapes introduce the residence or building and most views from indoors look outwards, so they must complement the architecture and interior design. They should invite you in and out.
MB: You also design outdoor furniture. What inspires these objects? NF: My designs usually spring from whichever project I am working on at the time. With my grass ottoman, I needed something fresh and durable for a pool project. The design was born when I saw a tuft of plastic wheat grass in a craft shop, and now the ottoman is sold around the world. MB: Do you have any advice for fledgling gardeners? NF: Walking large estates, parks, museum grounds and commercial gardens can help you get a sense of scale. Though these areas might be larger than your own garden, the same elements can still work on a smaller scale. a
Lisa Teague photos by John Hession; Nancy Favier photo courtesy of GH Design, gh-design.net
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July 2013
SHOWROOM
Model Home A former model makes housewares fashionable BY JUSTIN RAY
MUSIC VENUE
ROCKITECTURE What do Frank Zappa, Antoni Gaudí, and a bullfighter have in common? They all inspired the hottest new music venue in the south of France
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new contemporary music venue on the outskirts of Nîmes, France, is drawing crowds as much for its incredible architecture as it is for big-name international bookings like Public Enemy and Pete Doherty. Designed by French firm Tetrarc, Paloma features a 1,300-seat concert hall, a 390-seat club, seven recording and training studios, and even apartments for performers in residence. Organized around a central courtyard, the zinc- and glass-covered monolith is an exercise in audacious angles and forms that ultimately
burst into a giant rectangular screen on the northwest façade. This face gives the structure the pointed quality of being from the future, but its design influences are a far-reaching hodgepodge from the past: Frank Zappa, origami, 1960s abstract sculpture, and bullfighting are listed as inspiration points. The venue’s biggest color cues actually came from traditional bullfighters’ garb—visible through the vibrant yellows, purples, pinks, and reds that streak the interior walls, and extend to the playful color-patterned seats and pink striations on the patio. a
Paloma photos by Stéphane Chalmeau, stephanechalmeau.com; courtesy of Tetrarc, tetrarc.fr Showroom photos courtesy of NEST, nestcasa.com
Surrounded by stores like Christian Louboutin and Céline to the north and high-end interior retailers to the east and west, the NEST showroom in Miami’s Design District is on the corner of fashion and home. It’s a fitting spot for founder Sara Colombo, a former model who channeled her past career into her new venture: a 2,400-squarefoot home emporium where she hopes to give home merchandise as much diversity as clothing. “In the fashion world, cities present a lot of variety at any point in time,” she says. “If you think about New York versus London, even in the same season, their aesthetics differ. However, home decor doesn’t move so much.” Colombo’s fashion experience influenced her taste for fine European design, a preference she brings to NEST, which stocks a handselected collection of European pieces. The brand emphasizes craftsmanship, choosing only the finest materials from imaginative designers, including Alexandra von Furstenberg, Jeremy Cole, and Pinto Paris, among others. Her fashion training also makes her open to taking risks. “I’m not afraid of color or texture,” she says. “I think a lot of people err on the safe side and only use neutral colors.” Her bold approach appears to have paid off—NEST opened its second location in Bal Harbour, Florida, this spring. a
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OFFICE TOUR
Come Together EACH DETAIL OF THE DESIGN— FROM THE HANGING METAL STAIRCASE TO THE CUSTOM LIGHT FIXTURES INSPIRED BY THE COMPANY LOGO— ENCOURAGES TOGETHERNESS.
Step inside the industrial-inspired office of Heavybit Industries BY JILL MCDONNELL
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o longer content to be simply the city where Tony Bennett and 49ers fans left their hearts, San Francisco is quickly eclipsing Silicon Valley as the new hub for technology startups. And with the influx of innovators comes a need to house them in spaces where function meets style.
Enter IwamotoScott Architecture, whose recent redesign of the Heavybit Industries offices helped the company to foster the free exchange of ideas. “The goal was to embody the ethos of the company,” principal Lisa Iwamoto says. Heavybit is all about working with early-stage businesses through their growing pains, so Scott
maintained the building’s industrial character while focusing on that collaborative spirit. Each detail of the design encourages togetherness—from the open, hanging metal staircase that allows for visual connection, to the steel light fixture in the kitchen that beckons people to gather beneath its warmth, to the continuous window seat where employees can seek inspiration for their next big idea from the fog rolling in off the bay. a
The Heavybit logo inspired the design of the fabric
conference room.
physics modeling to get the fabric pieces the and then sewed them together.
Photos by Bruce Damonte, brucedamonte.com
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Metal and rope a private room in the middle of the
ceiling beams and anchored in the
perimeter windows to create a space for employees to
IwamotoScott metal fabricator engineer to create the impossibly thin stairs. The staircase serves object that creates gathering space. It incorporates both heaviness and
solid design.
Heavybit logo inspired this steel light a focal point in The soft light stands in contrast to the heavy metal design.
Photos by Bruce Damonte, brucedamonte.com
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RENOVATION
Barn Again
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his California guesthouse spent its first century as a barn on a farm in New Hampshire—until architect Robert Carver’s forward-thinking clients came along. They were looking for a sustainably designed space to accommodate their many visiting kids and grandkids. It had to be fun, meld the old with the new, and fit the surroundings: a horse ranch amid the oak trees in Santa Ynez. Architect Carver, of firm Carver + Schicketanz, enlisted New Hampshire architectural salvage firm
A 100-year-old barn from New Hampshire comes back to life as a stylish guesthouse in California
Great Northern Barns to source and disassemble the dilapidated existing barn, which was then trucked across the country and reframed on the ranch. Almost all of the heavy timber framing—most of it oak—was salvageable, and with a few adaptations designed by Carver, the barn was transformed from horse space into house space. Inside, the 2,000-square-foot house, the open plan features upstairs living quarters that include a segregated master bedroom and bath. And downstairs, in the two-story
open game area, kids’ rooms are arranged like horse stalls off a central arena. In addition to its reclaimed frame, the house is chock-full of other sustainable features, from the way it was sited (to maximize solar gain) to the furnishings and fixtures (which were unearthed at flea markets and swap meets). The timber framing isn’t the only thing that was reclaimed: kitchen drawers are made of recycled vintage crates and bathroom sinks of recycled water buckets. Playful and environmentally friendly—that’s a welcome reincarnation. a
Photos by Claudio Santini, claudiosantini.com, courtesy of Carver + Schicketanz, carverschicketanz.com
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RENOVATION “We pushed the envelope with translucent panels that allow a magical daylighting inside and a glow after dark, subtly exposing the timber frame if the lights are on,” Carver says. The glowing walls aren’t just for show; they also cut down on the need for artificial lighting.
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“WE HAD TO RAISE THE FIRST-FLOOR CEILING LEVEL BY PLACING FOUR-FOOT-TALL STEEL COLUMNS UNDER EACH TIMBER POST,” CARVER SAYS.
Photos by Claudio Santini, claudiosantini.com, courtesy of Carver + Schicketanz, carverschicketanz.com
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DIALOGUE PROFILE
BUILDING ON TRUST By prioritizing relationships, architect Farhad Ashofteh takes his clients in completely new lifestyle directions BY KATHRYN FREEMAN RATHBONE
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rust—it’s a somewhat odd characteristic to prioritize in the Los Angeles architecture scene, but it’s one that architect Farhad Ashofteh staunchly supports. And to make sure he gets it right in each residential project that he designs, he starts by digging deeply into his clients’ lives. “Architecture at its core is a service, and you have to really listen to your clients,” he says. “Making them feel comfortable is key to expanding them to new design opportunities and ideas.” Ashofteh got his start in L.A. during the 1980s and early ’90s while working for the Urban Innovations Group, the practicing office of UCLA’s architecture school. UIG enabled Ashofteh to collaborate closely with famed architects like Charles Moore, Frank Gehry, and Frank Israel, and to engage Los Angeles through large public projects. His work for the SRO Housing Corporation stands out as his most satisfying UIG commission. “Through SRO, UIG became very involved in housing the homeless in Skid Row in downtown L.A.,” Ashofteh says. “We renovated hundreds of units in singleoccupancy hotels.”
For an architect’s creative vision to come to fruition, it is vital that the builder understands the design down to its finest details. When it came to the Malcolm House, the design-build and construction company RG West worked closely with the architect to realize a harmonious finished product. “I’m involved from early on, which allows me to work through obstacles and help brainstorm alternatives if needed,” says owner Kemal Ramezani, who is also a registered architect.
To make sure that the converted hotels would stand up to the needs of their occupants, the UIG team held town meetings to talk extensively with future residents. “It was really incredible,” Ashofteh says. “Shelter is a basic human right, and working closely with the homeless teaches you how to find out what people truly need.” After sussing out these details, UIG renovated the hotels to have basic private rooms and shared communal bathrooms, kitchens, rec rooms, and rooftop gardens so that residents would feel comfortable at home. Ashofteh counts the project as a solid success, and when UIG disbanded in 1993, he founded his private practice on the principle that “space is the container of life.”
Portrait by Rainbeau Seitz, rainbeauseitz.com; project photos courtesy of Farhad Ashofteh, farhadashofteh.com
This principle is clearly visible in two of his most recent residential projects. Known as the Malcolm House and the Wilshire Penthouse, both homes sit in Westwood, an L.A. neighborhood that mixes 1920s ranches with modern high-rises. Each home uses the diverse conditions as a design advantage; they also represent completely new lifestyles for both of their owners. Ashofteh attributes his clients’ willingness to live in modern homes to the close relationships he has built with both homeowners. “The homes are very modern and completely different from the styles of both owners’ previous homes,” he says. “But because I really came to know them and showed them the design opportunities, they were excited to expand their design knowledge and try a different lifestyle.” The streamlined Malcolm House looks out over blocks of both single-family homes and a high-rise landscape, so Ashofteh raised its first floor to prioritize views from the upper floor bedrooms. The home’s owners wanted a house built for entertainment, and its completely open plan—topped off with a 600- square-foot roof deck—certainly fulfills that need. Look up from the spacious backyard toward the high-rises two blocks away, and the Wilshire Penthouse is visible. “Before we renovated it, it was a nice unit but it didn’t have any style,” Ashofteh says of the project. “It was a unit that had various beams without rhyme or reason. We took out everything we could—beams, ducts, etc.—to maximize the space and gain ceiling height. It really opened up the plan.” As a finishing touch, the architect even chose the furnishings for both the Malcolm House and Wilshire Penthouse himself.
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Seen here at his Los Angeles studio, architect Farhad Ashofteh builds modern residences and strong relationships with his clients.
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At the Wilshire Penthouse, Ashofteh reconfigured the existing space to maximize the ceiling height and create an open plan. He also selected the furnishings.
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“Architecture at its core is a service, and you have to really listen to your clients.” – FARHAD ASHOFTEH
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The exterior of the Malcolm House reflects its diverse architectural surroundings. Inside, the house is built for entertainment with an open floor plan and large roof deck.
“Farhad first called me in 2008 with some questions about using metal on some upcoming projects,” says Michael Sanford, president of Pan Pacific Metals, the
company in charge of the metal roofing and siding for the Malcolm House project. “This led to four separate projects where we worked out the details unique to each design.”
His clients’ willingness to expand their understanding of what looks and feels like “home” stems from the bonds that Ashofteh builds with them. “We become parts of each other’s lives; we become friends,” he says. And to him, it’s this kind of deep relationship building (CONTINUED)
that’s one of architecture’s best perks. “Architecture is about building things. It’s personal, and each situation is different. I get to get into peoples’ lives and stay with them. I love what I do.” a
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Q&A
EQUAL DESIGN FOR ALL Seattle architect Leah Martin believes that green design is a right, not a privilege
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self-proclaimed “Robin Hood,” architect Leah Martin believes that everyone should have access to sustainable design. The principal of Seattle’s Verge Architecture & Design uses funds from her large-scale projects to support her work on small renovations for clients who normally couldn’t afford her services. Last year, Martin took her personal quest to bring parity through design one step further when she founded HATCH Collaborative, a grassroots organization that identifies and solves design problems in the local community. DB: How can design professionals make green design affordable?
Leah Martin: Everybody assumes that it’s more expensive to build a green building, but it doesn’t have to be. Take one of our recent renovation projects, Arbor Heights. We reorganized the kitchen and dining spaces, relocated the stairway and added a bedroom. I’ve seen projects like this done for three times as much. We saved by reusing materials and surgically approached reconstruction. We also took prefabricated materials like cabinets and added some design flair to make them special on-site. It gave the homeowners a custom kitchen that they couldn’t have afforded otherwise. DB: Can new construction be sustainable?
LM: I believe simple site design is the most critical aspect of energy efficiency. On our Juanita Residence, we designed a new home that faces southwest, which is ideal in the Pacific Northwest. The siting enables the home to use heat gain during the winter as a heat source and then block low-angle sun during the summer. We also reduced the amount of finish materials used by exposing the building infrastructure and structure. In this instance, we used structural concrete as the finished floor. I have an aversion to covering everything up. I like to have the main structure of the house be the finished product.
Rendering by HATCH Collaborative, hatchcollaborative.com
As part of her work with HATCH Collaborative, Martin designed an alternative to portable school classrooms, which studies have shown negatively affect student performance. Her prototype design is off the grid, daylit, warm and affordable.
DB: Tell us about HATCH Collaborative. How is it different from your main architecture practice?
LM: HATCH is a partnership between myself and three other women who are all engaged in public design activism. The difference is that Verge gets a phone call from someone with a problem and we offer a solution. HATCH identifies problems in a community and then decides to fix them. The name comes from hatching projects from within. We have our ears to the ground. Right now we are designing an alternative to portable school classrooms, which are meant to be temporary but often are in use for decades. They’re toxic, they offgas and cause fatigue, and studies show that the children who use them perform poorly. Schools can’t afford the existing solutions, so we’re creating a prototype that is off the grid, safe, daylit, warm, and most importantly, affordable. Finding the solution is as much about social justice as it is about design. a
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The Juanita Residence (top) was designed to face southwest to maximize heat gain during the winter and to block lowangle sunlight in the summer. The raw, structural concrete does double duty as the finished floor, reducing the amount of new material used during construction. A smaller project, the Arbor Heights house (left) included a renovation of the kitchen and dining spaces. The new design includes prefabricated cabinets that were reworked on-site with new details for a custom effect.
Photos by Miguel Edwards, migueledwards.com
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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
PUBLIC SPACES THAT SPEAK A boathouse and a sports complex give voice to their communities BY MAGGIE LANGE
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hen discussing ASK Studio’s approach to designing public spaces, principal Brent Schipper quoted Victorian-era art and architecture critic John Ruskin: “We want two things from our buildings: We want them to shelter us, and we want them to speak to us—to speak to us of whatever we find important and need to be reminded of.” It’s the second part of Ruskin’s statement— the language of architecture—that drives this practice in Des Moines, Iowa, to design public structures like the Terry Trueblood Boathouse and the Spring Creek Sports
Complex, which speak to the people who use them. “All clients want buildings that speak about their community,” Schipper says. “Our favorite part is finding that voice and language.” For the Spring Creek Sports Complex, Schipper used the rural setting to create an agrarian-style space. The complex caters to youth sports, providing concessions, restrooms, and picnic tables that serve the participants of more than a dozen soccer fields. The building opens to the fields outside, inviting the families inside. A steeply angled roof seems to slice through the building, giving it a sense of energy and movement. “[The roof] speaks of shelter from great distances. It is about making a large gesture on an even larger landscape,” he says. ASK principal Mike Kastner used similar principles to design the Terry Trueblood Boathouse, but changed the tone of the architecture to complement the lakeside landscape. A public park structure on the edge of a lake, the building houses rental boat storage, as well as restrooms and concessions. Kastner used natural materials, particularly stone and wood. “It’s the stone that anchors it and the wood that creates the drama,” he says. Hinged walls open the space to the outdoors, framing the view to the lake. Like the sports complex, the boathouse also features a sleekly angled roof. “The pitch is greater,” says Kastner, “and the single slope gives a structure with a small footprint a greater presence in the park landscape.”
Public spaces like The Terry Trueblood Boathouse (above) and the Spring Creek Sports Complex (right) respond to their surroundings. The boathouse has hinged walls that open to the lake, while the sports complex welcomes athletes from the field.
Photos by Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio, integratedstudio.com
“The beauty is that the buildings are so different, because they speak to different people and different places,” Schipper says. “It is a true thrill to know you helped a community find a voice through a building.” a
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STYLE PROFILE
PERIOD PIECE A historic New York City townhome is restored to its Gilded Age glory
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his turn-of-the-century Upper East Side townhome pays homage to the grandeur of the Gilded Age. But that wasn’t always the case. When the current homeowners purchased the six-story, 16,000-square-foot property, it housed a commercial office space and had fallen into disrepair. With the aide of architectural historian Christopher Gray, architect Brian O’Keefe unearthed a wealth of data—from the initial drawings to tax document photos—that enabled him to restore the historic home down to its most decadent decorative details. “And while the home is historic, it still has all the modern amenities—home controls, an AV system, central air—that you would ever need,” O’Keefe says. a
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1. While the dining room ceiling boasted plaster coffers that had been cast from the original molds, it lacked authentic molding. “The coffers were floating in the middle of the ceiling and the crown molding needed more heft to match the ceiling,” says O’Keefe. “The same artisan who faux painted the entry gave the dining room ceiling a fresh look, which was inspired by a photograph of a French palace.”
2. Inspired by the design of the ornamental metal transom at the front entrance, neoclassicalstyle metal interior doors frame the grand entry vestibule. A new faux-painted ceiling, limestone floors, and plaster molding complete the old-world look. 3. The second floor features his-and-hers parlors. “Both are done in a gray color palette, but hers is ornate and his is more masculine and streamlined,” says O’Keefe.
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Manhattan-based construction company C. Stasky Associates worked closely with Brian O’Keefe to execute this detail-oriented renovation project. “We ensured the tradesmen, artisans, and craftsmen working on the project understood the demanding nature of this artistic vision,” says chairman Charles E. Stasky.
Photos by Durston Saylor, durstonsaylor.com
4. Polished mahogany paneling and a clawfoot marble mantel the owner purchased in New Orleans bring warmth and dimension to the library. A master artisan from Virginia restored the existing plaster cornice, which was in need of repair, and added a new Greek key frieze below.
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PASTORAL PERFECTION The classic farmhouse gets a modern reinterpretation BY ANN CHOU The Becherer House, designed by award-winning Washington, D.C. architect Robert Gurney, sits on a pasture with an effortless air typical of great architecture. Located on an idyllic property two and a half hours from D.C., the house is a second home for a small family of horse riders. Inspired by another of the architect’s projects (a modern addition to a farmhouse), the homeowners wanted to build a house that abstracted traditional rural elements in a modern way and included open-plan living spaces that opened up to the magnificent views. CONTINUED
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On the exterior, Gurney juxtaposed cement board panels with materials familiar to the agrarian landscape—prefinished black standing seam metal and simple white clapboard siding for the roof and walls—for a clean, modern slant on farmhouse style.
Photos by Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer, maxwellmackenzie.com
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www.cbdcustomhomes.com (703) 543-6888
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The house sits atop a thick concrete and stucco plinth, a subtle element that ties the three wings of the home together. To the north, a manicured lawn and a two-foot, dry-stacked, slate retaining wall create a threshold to the woodland. To the south, the pasture and barn are visible.
“I like the fact that you can be in the main living space and have both a wooded view and a pasture view. It sets up for two very distinct visual experiences.” – ROBERT GURNEY Located amidst a placid landscape in the country, the Becherer House needed large windows, and lots of them. Given the technical and aesthetic complexity of Robert Gurney’s glassshrouded structure, the project called for a window and door manufacturer that would be able to meet the architect’s distinctive creative vision while ensuring the high functionality of a domestic space. Gurney chose Marvin Windows and Doors to supply custom-built products that would seamlessly integrate into the sophisticated modern style intended for the home. “The large fixed windows and oversized doors were all evaluated prior to building
in order to achieve the clean and sharp sight lines that the project demanded,” says Joe Haddon, the commercial representative for the Minnesota-based company. “Our products are made to order, so we can fulfill our clients’ most creative window and door ideas, whether they are traditional or contemporary designs.” The company also focuses on energy efficiency in its product lines, making it a go-to manufacturer for many cutting-edge architectural projects, both commercial and residential. “We offer the industry’s most extensive selection of shapes, sizes, and styles to fit the needs of builders and their clients,” he says.
Gurney found the perfect spot on the property—between the woodland to the north and the pasture to the south— that would put the beautiful surroundings center stage. He then designed the structure to take advantage of the views. Laid out in a "U" shape along a strong axis, the house comprises three linked gable-roofed pavilions. Inside, Gurney met the owners’ request for open-plan living by creating a one-room-deep, double-height central living space that is flanked by an entrance and screened porch on one end and bedrooms on the other. “I like the fact that you can be in the main living space and have both a wooded view and a pasture view,” says Gurney. “It sets up for two very distinct visual experiences.” CONTINUED (CONTINUED)
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Throughout the house, Gurney used large expanses of glass, including glass walls inset with smaller operable windows, wherever he could to frame views of the outside and let in light year-round. To further emphasize the surrounding landscape of green pasture, blue sky, and warmcolored woodland, Gurney and his wife, an interior designer, chose an understated and minimal palette of natural materials for the interior. “They are all intended to be background to the windows and views,” Gurney says. Which makes sense given the home’s idyllic surroundings. Because even though great architecture is meant to be admired, Gurney understands that location is as important in creating an impact: “These spaces are about the view.” a
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“The detailed nature of Robert [Gurney]’s designs require a great amount of effort and diligence to execute,” says Steven McCaughan, vice president of Commonwealth Building & Design, a custom home building firm that has worked with Robert Gurney Architects on several projects in the Washington, D.C. area. “We look at this as a challenge and are determined to accomplish the goals of the project in design, scope, and budget. It is this drive for perfection that has continued our relationship.”
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A one-room, doubleheight central living space met the owner’s request for open-plan living. The space is flanked by an entrance and porch on one end and bedrooms on the other.
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IN THE DETAILS Exploring the key elements of uncommon spaces The home’s exterior features fiber cement paneling and cedar; a portion of it is applied in a rain screen detail for ventilation on wet days. The front façade is a modern interpretation of the classic veranda. “It offers a connectedness and direct interaction with neighbors and a sense of belonging to the community,” Pereira says.
PROJECT: LG HOUSE LOCATION: EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA DESIGNER: LOUIS PEREIRA OF THIRDSTONE, INC. PHOTOS: MERLE PROSOFSKY PHOTOGRAPHY LTD., PROSOFSKY.COM
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Bifold doors in the dining room offer easy accessibility to the outdoor patio, creating a combination indoor/outdoor retreat.
MODERN FAMILY LIVING A flexible floor plan gives a family room to grow
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ome might find it impractical to build on a 25-by-140foot lot, but architect Louis Pereira thought otherwise. “We knew that it was going to be the right amount of space in terms of functionality,” says Pereira, who designed the LG House to meet the needs of his growing family. “The design allows for space to be rearranged without expensive retrofits and renovations.” The twostory, approximately 3,400-square-foot home features spacious living and dining rooms, a sleek kitchen, two outdoor areas, and a garage. The master bedroom and nearby loft area, which currently serves as a bedroom, can divide into two separate areas if needed. “It’s been a dream because the house works so well and is centrally located. We can’t envision living anywhere else.” – Lesley Stanley
www.richlyncustomhomes.com | 780.220.7600 Edmonton Alberta Canada
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IN THE DETAILS
A LAKEFRONT LIFE Rich wood tones and cozy neutrals warm up a Chicago waterfront home
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rchitect Sharlene Young made sure to take advantage of the property’s stunning views of Lake Michigan and its peaceful surroundings when designing this 4,600-square-foot home. “The directional approach of the house opening up towards the lake made the inspiration very much about the view,” Young says. Inside, the three-story, split-level home features a combination of cozy interiors on a nontraditional scale. The spacious living room boasts a warm color palette of rust and ocher tones, while the rich creamy colors of the kitchen add another layer of hominess. Three outdoor terraces serve as extensions of the overall living space where the owner can entertain a crowd or simply relax. For energy-efficiency, Young incorporated solar thermal panels and geothermal wells for heating, and an irrigation system for rainwater. – Lesley Stanley
KADLEC ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
The home’s exterior limestone base was constructed with a load-bearing masonry finish to emphasize that it is an anchor for the rest of the house, says Young. The upper part of the exterior, also made of limestone, creates a sculptural volume that appears to spring toward the nearby park and lake.
110 WEST KINZIE STREET 4TH FLOOR CHICAGO ILLINOIS 60654
KADLECDESIGN.COM p 312 644 9270 f 312 644 7730
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Stairs lead from the sitting room on the first floor to the dining room on the second floor.
The kitchen is outfitted in cream and wood cabinetry.
In the entryway, the limestone flooring is a continuation of the exterior finish. The custom-built door mimics the window treatment.
PROJECT: LAKE SHORE DRIVE RESIDENCE / LOCATION: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS DESIGNER: SHARLENE YOUNG OF WHEELER KEARNS ARCHITECTS / PHOTOS: STEVE HALL Š HEDRICH BLESSING
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The living room offers spectacular views of Lake Michigan through the bay window. Hardwood floors bring warmth, while the fireplace, made from bronze tile and limestone, literally warms up the spacious room.
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IN THE DETAILS
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When it comes to the exterior, Marten says he likes to use colors and textures found in the natural landscape. “This is not a place to stand out and try to compete with the environment,” Marten says. “The magnificent desert setting will always win.”
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Marten says he designed the kitchen with cooking and entertaining in mind. The island, made of granite and Caesarstone, has a connecting bar where guests can sit and watch dinner being prepared. Oak cabinets and polished concrete flooring frame the space with natural elements.
RED ROCK RESIDENCE Dramatic desert views shape the design of a concept home
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he Kayenta Community Concept Home isn’t your typical model house. Then again, Kayenta isn’t your average residential development. Set amidst a backdrop of Utah’s red rock mountains, the 2,000-acre community is a man-made oasis surrounded by protected desert. Matthew Marten, principal of Gulch Design Group, designs Kayenta’s homes to work with the natural environment, as his father, the developer, originally intended. Marten’s concept home also responds to a goal of his own: to integrate modernist architecture with the style of
America’s Southwest. Accordingly, the 2,800-square-foot home features minimalist elements and spectacular views of the surrounding landscape from just about every room. “With the 360-degree view and floor-to-ceiling glass typical of traditional modern design, [the home’s design] brings the outdoors indoors and blurs the line between the two,” Marten says. The materials are basic—concrete, steel, wood, glass, and stone—but the clean lines and subtle details give Marten’s designs a rich, comfortable character that is light and fresh. – Lesley Stanley
PROJECT: KAYENTA COMMUNITY CONCEPT HOME / LOCATION: KAYENTA, UTAH DESIGNER: MATTHEW MARTEN OF GULCH DESIGN GROUP PHOTOS: DANNY LEE PHOTOGRAPHY, DLEEPHOTOGRAPHY.COM CONTINUED
GULCH DESIGN GROUP
Architecture + Design KAY ENTA,
UTAH
tel 435.668.9833 gulchdesigngroup.com KayentaUtah.com
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With its stucco walls and protective metal roof, the outdoor pavilion is the perfect spot for outdoor entertaining. A fireplace keeps the space cozy after the sun goes down.
The functions of a minimalist home can compete with its clean look. To combat this problem in the Kayenta home, Marten used Wilding Wallbeds, which incorporate comfort and style. “We have a great team of woodworkers who tailor each bed to the customer’s specific needs,” says owner Dan Wilding.
The home’s floor-to-ceiling glass window walls bring the stunning outdoor landscape into the living room. Outside, an artificial eco-lawn adds a pop of out-of-theordinary color.
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IN THE DETAILS
BACK TO THE FUTURE A forward-thinking home is rooted in the past
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eady to move on from any lingering effects that Miami Vice may have left behind in the Sunshine State, Phil Kean, president and principal architect of Phil Kean Designs, drew inspiration from the simple yet classic mid-century white box home when designing the 2012 New American Home (the official show home of the International Builders Show). “I thought that in addition to looking forward, it would be good to look backwards to design trends as well,” Kean says. CONTINUED
The floating staircase, made from limestone and glass, is a sculptural piece that allows natural light to flow throughout the house.
PROJECT: 2012 NEW AMERICAN HOME LOCATION: WINTER PARK, FLORIDA / DESIGNER: PHIL KEAN OF PHIL KEAN DESIGNS PHOTOS: COURTESY OF TIMBERLAKE CABINETRY AND JAMES F. WILSON FOR BUILDER MAGAZINE Footer Sentinel Book Italic lorem ipsum dit endent eped quias di consent, as dictor a di consequiae Bea dolorpo
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Equipped with a pool, summer kitchen, and comfortable seating, the outdoor patio is designed for entertaining. Non-invasive native plants add a natural element, while flowing water makes its way through a stainless steel and glass table that exits into the pool. Motorized solar shades separate the lanai and outdoor patio area and also protect indoor furniture and guests from harmful UV rays.
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In the kitchen, dark cabinets, made from sustainable wood, contrast against a white quartz stone island and backsplash, also quartz with a custom horizontal scoring design. Around the corner, the same cabinetry extends into the dining room, where it serves as a buffet. Made from reclaimed wood, the one-of-a-kind dining table is another green design addition.
Clare Controls designed the user interface applications for the the 2012 New American Home’s sophisticated home automation systems with simplicity and ease of use in mind. “Users can exercise complete control of their automated systems from home or away using their iPhones or iPads, via interface screens that they populate and manage themselves based on the things they love to do… and not just the rooms they happen to be in,” says Brett Pierce, CEO of Clare Controls.
It was a challenge to build on the home’s considerably small-sized lot, which is approximately 11,000 square feet. “A good percentage of it was an alley,” Kean says. “That’s why the patio is located in the center of the house and not the rear or front.”
Unlike its cold and uninviting mid-century predecessor, Kean’s spacious, two-story, 4,100-squarefoot house is warm and comfortable while also being mindful of its environmental footprint. The home’s LEED Platinum design includes interior framing and exterior walls that provide energy-efficient insulation. Solar energy powers the air conditioning, hot water production, and a portion of the electrical system. The beautiful landscape heads inside the home in the roomy lanai while the patio is the perfect spot to enjoy sunny days. – Lesley Stanley (CONTINUED)
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Suburban Snapshot
BRAD SHARPE POOLS Serving San Antonio, South Texas & the Hill Country AN AQUATECH BUILDER
ROMANCING THE RANCH A Texas Hill Country homestead has Romanesque roots
D 3023 Nacogdoches Rd. San Antonio, TX 78217 Brad@BradSharpePools.com
210.822.5620
www.bradsharpepools.com
on B. McDonald designed this Texas ranch homestead with two goals in mind: to highlight the spectacular, rugged Texas Hill Country views and to reference the state’s unique architectural history. He was inspired by the work of Alfred Giles, a young English architect who arrived in Texas in 1873, bringing with him knowledge of English Romanesque and Queen Anne architecture. Over the next 50 years, Giles’ classic designs were absorbed into the local architecture. “[They are] shrouded with deep overhanging porches clad with delicate metal roofs to protect the buildings from Texas’ intense heat and driving rains,” McDonald says.
McDonald’s design focused on a series of outdoor rooms, adding a fireplace to warm the owners in the winter, wellplaced windows to circulate air in the summer, and large arches to give the spaces an open feeling. The materials were regionally focused: “The stairs were fabricated from salvaged Texas long-leaf pine, windows from western red cedar and iron lighting from a local blacksmith,” McDonald says. “The house itself is quiet and grounded. It hunkers into the hillside and recedes into the landscape, taking second billing to a jaw-dropping view of the Texas Hill Country.” – Maggie Lange
PROJECT: THE MOORMAN RESIDENCE / LOCATION: GILLESPIE COUNTY, TEXAS ARCHITECT: DON B. MCDONALD / PHOTOS: JON MCDONALD
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The rugged Texas Hill Country is visible from the home‘s expansive windows. Bifold doors open to bring the outdoors in.
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Notes From the Bureau NEWS AND MUSINGS FROM THE WORLD OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
An Origami Approach to Architecture YOSHIHARA ARCHITECTS YOSHIHARA McKEE McKEE ARCHITECTS 521 WW57th 521 57thSt. St.3rd 3rd Floor Floor NEWYORK, YORK,NY NY10019 10019 NEW t 212315 3152215 2215 t 212 www.YoshiharaMcKee.com www.YoshiharaMcKee.com
Husband-and-wife architects animate 2-D surfaces with 3-D forms
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aper models, the products of countless experiments with conventional sheets, line the walls of Yoshihara McKee Architects’ New York office. They’re a visual reminder of what fuels this husband-and-wife design practice—their desire to conquer one-dimensionality using techniques derived from origami. “Origami means an object composed of flat pieces,” Hiroki Yoshihara says. “But our architectural origami keeps its ability to move. It can fold away or open up. Maybe someday we can design a building that can move.” While the notion seems like fantasy,
Yoshihara McKee’s interior renovation of a New York City hospital features a two-tone faceted wall, which encases an MRI machine. Alternating shades of blue on each
Photos courtesy of Yoshihara McKee Architects, yoshiharamckee.com
panel manipulate the eye so the wall seems even more three-dimensional.
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Painless Renovations.
Vintage Addiction Eric Berg channels his affinity for antiques into a new career
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true style pioneer, Eric Berg isn’t afraid to take the road less traveled. The California collector has quite literally scoured the state in search of pre-WWII (1910-1940) vintage treasures. And when his career as a music industry stylist stalled, he changed course and turned his sideline hobby into a full-time venture, opening an L.A. storefront called, fittingly enough, Early California Antiques.
“Our architectural origami keeps its ability to move. It can fold away or open up. Maybe someday we’ll design a building that can move.” – HIROKI YOSHIHARA
their projects contain folds, refractions, and repetitions that can only be described as explorations into this idea of pairing architecture with movement. In Manhattan, the duo revamped a weekend getaway apartment that operates around a wall with functionality akin to that of a Swiss Army knife. The wall’s surface of ruddy copper on hand-gouged wood masks a Murphy bed, side table, and various storage options, all concealed behind pullout and hinged panels. While this hide-and-reveal feature embodies a literal transformative movement, the project’s real dynamism shows itself as the sun shifts its rays across the apartment’s south-facing windows. Every hour, Sandy McKee says, “the sun catches the copper differently to change the way it appears. The room begins to glow.” – Kate Chiu
Here Berg sells and sources one-of-akind home decor items and artwork for high-profile clients like actress Diane Keaton, Glee producer Ryan Murphy, and famed interior designer Cliff Fong. Berg even lists life and style maven Ralph Lauren as one of his most loyal clients. “Lauren is hooked on this particular kind of garden pot called a Bauer Indian bowl,” Berg says. “They’re hard to find as they are rare and very expensive.” So rare that Berg has driven halfway across the state on several occasions to track down certain pieces, but it has paid off. These bowls and many more items can be found in the more rustic Double RL stores and in major stores in Paris and as far away as Dubai. Four years after Berg’s career switch, Early California Antiques has opened a new showroom down the street from where his labor of love began. “The timing was perfect,” he says. Now celebs and non-celebs alike can get lost in themed rooms ranging from Spanish Revival and rococo to pioneer, cowboys and Indians, and vintage lighting rooms. – Lauren Carroll
Early California Antiques photo by Odessy Barbu, odessybarbu.com
Construction at its Finest On time Every time.
C. STASKY ASSOCIATES THE INTERIOR BUILDERS www.theinteriorbuilders.com
One Grand Central Place New York, NY 10165 212-599-2100
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Notes From the Bureau
Uncommon Law Quirky lighting and glamorous materials brighten up a law office
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LuM Lighting Design Dallas, Texas 214.341.0019
ike any good relationship, the collaboration between a designer and a client can take time to blossom. When the architects at Lauckgroup designed Winstead Attorneys’ new Dallas office space, it was initially difficult for them to discern exactly what the clients wanted and how they worked. “We were scratching our heads because we couldn’t find that spark,” says Lauckgroup principal Brigitte Preston. But after observing how much the law firm’s employees worked together, Preston realized that the key to this collaboration was collaboration itself.
She focused on creating gathering spaces throughout the office, including a lobby, conference rooms, open and private offices, and public spaces. To encourage employees to stop and sit a while, Preston used traditional finishes like glass and stone that are tempered by quirky light fixtures. “Any space—from a meeting room to a coffee bar to an open office area—should look good at night if you were having a party. And lighting is one of the most important elements in any space,” she says. Preston describes this lighting system as a metaphor for the whole office aesthetic—especially the linear sconces in the reception area and client lounge.
www.lumlightingdesign.com Photos © Paul Bardagjy
“The strategic placement of lighting assists in the architectural definition of spaces,” says Suzanne Branch, president of LuM Lighting Design, which designed the
lighting for this law office. “We chose lighting that properly illuminates each space according to its function, and also reinforces the materials and design concepts.”
“When you think of attorneys, they’re very established and serious, so [details like] the applied molding are a kind of gesture towards that stability and seriousness, but the high-tech, LED light fixture is playful and new. The juxtaposition is cool.” Lauckgroup also took care to design the conference rooms as places that felt inspired. The conference room tables make an elegant statement: A white pearl painted glass tabletop with white and gold marble veined resin sits atop a custom bronze-edged base. These details help to affect the mood and tone of the office. “Meetings can take on a different character. The great lighting and beautiful finishes are conducive to gatherings and great meetings. We wanted to make these beautiful spaces they would enjoy using.” – Maggie Lange
July 2013
A Fashionable Home Store How one architecture firm designed a new concept for one of fashion’s most iconic brands
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ynch/Eisinger/Design knows Calvin Klein. The New York City-based architecture firm has designed many retail locations for the company that made underwear a status symbol. But creating a retail space for the brand’s first home collection posed new challenges (like, what to do when there are no posters of Mark Wahlberg and his abs?). Principal architects Simon Eisinger and Christian Lynch explain the challenges involved in designing Calvin Klein Home’s… home.
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Freestanding pavilions define the Calvin Klein Home shop within Lord & Taylor’s New York City flagship.
The strong, clean lines of the structures stand out against the department store in the background.
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DB: You’ve designed retail spaces for Calvin Klein’s clothing brands before, so what made designing a space for its home line different?
Simon Eisinger: Usually we use architecture to define the brand and express a cultural environment that fits Calvin Klein’s apparel. Retailing home furnishings is different. Rather than just being housed within the environment, the furnishings can become part of it. It’s like showing apparel on a model instead of hanging on a rack. DB: How does this space reflect the Calvin Klein brand?
Christian Lynch: This was the first retail space dedicated to the Calvin Klein Home collection, so they wanted to establish an iconic presence. Our response was to build a pair of freestanding, houselike pavilions, with ‘rooms’ reflecting the various parts of the collection.
The pavilions act as showrooms for the furnishings, while the surrounding areas house smaller housewares (linens, rugs, glassware, bath items, etc.) for immediate purchase. This design also allowed us to break up the large footprint into interior and exterior spaces, each with different light and material qualities. DB: The pavilions are minimalist, much like Calvin Klein’s clothing. Was this connection intentional?
SE: Their blackened steel and glass allow just the right degree of presence, while remaining transparent and porous enough not to obstruct views and access to the rest of the space. Outside the pavilions, the palette is stripped back to plain white surfaces and simple stainless steel and glass fixtures so that the detail, color, and texture come from the product itself. a
Photos by Amy Barkow, © Barkow Photo, barkowphoto.com
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Pacific Metal Roofing, Inc
Specializing only in Metal Roofing and Custom Metal Siding Since 1988
Mellow in Miami A busy family finds serenity in a coastal condo redesign
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in balanced yang in the redesign of this two-bedroom, two-bath residential condo in Miami. Local design firm Building Center No. 3 restructured the vacation home to create an open flow and added neutral furnishings and decor that act as a calming counterpoint to the busy lives of the active family that owns it.
Principal architect Jason Tapia and his team—designer Claudia Aravena and interior designer Jahmairi Sainz—switched the bathroom and kitchen, detangling the apartment to give the home an open feeling. “Visual connection is a very important part of communication. We [wanted] anyone sitting in the living room to be actively engaged with guests sitting at the bar snacking, the family sitting in the nook playing cards, or the mother working the kitchen like an ‘Iron Chef,’” Tapia says. “This layout creates three communal spaces that are each linked visually, spatially, and even acoustically.”
Florida’s sunshine may be great for beachgoers, but it can be costly for homeowners. “Glare and UV radiation can wreak havoc on a home’s air conditioning system and can damage fabrics and art,” says Jesse Stolow, COO of Total Window.
To preserve the breathtaking views and protect the newly renovated interior of this Brickell Harbor Club vacation condo, Total Window used its expertise and innovative technology, providing the perfect solution with Solarweave roller shades.
The interior design also plays to the client’s desire for a social apartment, but balances the bustling energy of the space with natural materials that keep things relaxed. “We set out to create something serene and mellow, but I think we evolved with the client to produce brightly lit, engaging and active spaces that had an undercurrent of contemporary Asian influences,” Tapia says. Natural bamboo flooring emphasizes the flow of the open-concept areas, while pebble flooring brings a spa-like serenity to the bathroom. Neutral fabrics and finishes are complemented by decorative accents in pops of oceanic blues and purples. It’s just the right balance to help this buzzing family achieve vacation bliss. – Maggie Lange Photos by Hans Boiten
Pacific Metal Roofing, Inc. has been specializing exclusively in Architectural Roofing and Metal Siding since 1988. The quality of our work can be found throughout most of California. We are only doing Projects in the Southern California area. We work in all metal material - Copper, Zinc, Aluminum, Galvalume, Corten, Steel and Titanium. Pacific Metal Roofing, Inc. 2111 McCrea Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 TF: 888-533-2485 / P: 805-532-2485 Fax: 805-532-2493 / Email: Pacific44@att.net
www.pacificmetalroofing.com
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Notes From the Bureau
Deck Detective A landscape architect delves deep to design a couple’s perfect outdoor space
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hat do deck design and psychology have in common? A lot more than you might think, says Adam Miller of Chicago Roof Deck & Garden. “You have to ask a lot of questions that seem irrelevant to figure out how the owners live and how they need the space to function: Are you a beer drinker or wine lover? Do you cook steaks and lobsters when you’re entertaining outdoors? Or are you grilling burgers and sitting on the couch?” says Miller, a licensed landscape architect who jokingly refers to himself as a parttime counselor.
Italian Kitchen Design
Gianni Fedrigo
showroom
8406 Beverly Boulevard Los Angeles, California 90048 p 310.666.8966 e gianni@ikdusa.com Residential Custom Cabinets Commercial, Multifamily
www.ikdusa.com
Miller put his skills to work on a recent Chicago project that involved creating an outdoor roof deck for a family of four. He discovered that the couple had different priorities for the space—she wanted an outdoor oasis with a connection to nature, and he needed an outdoor kitchen with a gourmet grill. Using the 500-square-foot surface above the garage, Miller and the Chicago Roof Deck & Garden team designed a space that meets both their needs. “The biggest challenge was that this is an urban townhouse on a corner lot,” says Miller. “Behind them is a condo building
City folks know that the best summer parties take place on rooftops. Cold drinks and good food are a necessity, but constantly running to the kitchen to get party favors can be a buzzkill for any host trying to enjoy his or her own get-together. “Our innovative outdoor refrigeration solutions are flexible when it comes to integrating them in varied spaces, so they are perfect for
designers looking to add refrigeration to any area,” says Steve Proctor, director of marketing and sales for True Manufacturing Company, a frequent collaborator of Chicago Roof Deck & Garden. Handmade in the U.S., its True Professional Series commercial refrigeration line is designed for custom residential spaces like this Chicago roof deck.
where you could see into the neighbors’ homes. And she wanted to keep the other side open to have the view. So we created a balance of shade and privacy.” Miller designed a floating, cantilevered pergola made of hearty ipe wood that shades the space without blocking the view. The structure is mounted into the masonry walls of the garage for stability. He added a combination of clear and frosted glass fronted by planters to the other side of the deck. “It gives you transparency and light but blocks the view of the neighbors.” With one owner’s requests in check, the team set about fulfilling the other’s wish list by creating an outdoor kitchen fit for a professional chef. “It has a Big Green Egg smoker and a Kalamazoo grill, which has both gas and charcoal options,” Miller says. “It was a challenge to fit it into the small space, but in the end we created a highly functional outdoor area.” Sun, space, and smoked meats—the perfect rooftop combination. a
Photos courtesy of Chicago Roof Deck & Garden, chicagoroofdeck.com
TA K E C O O L T O A N E W L E V E L . Dare to be TRUE.
T H E T R U E PRO F E SS I O N A L S ER I E S F O R H O M E . P r efe r r e d b r a nd of to p ch ef s , r e s t a u r a n t s a nd hote ls . S u p e r io r r ef r ige r a t io n te ch nolog y fo r you r eve r yd ay li fe . 67 Y E A R S of T R U E I N N OVAT I O N , E X P E RT I S E a n d P E R F O R M A N C E . W W W.T R U E - R E S I D E N T I A L .CO M
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gallery & interiors 4361 Melrose Avenue East Hollywood ~ 90029 323 953-8330 www.earlycaliforniaantiques.com
Building a Brand A Louis Vuitton store gets a high-end look to match its merchandise
Monterey, Spanish Revival, Catalina tile and pottery, everything old California, Rancho Mexico & California Fine Art Monday to Saturday 10am to 7pm Sunday 11am to 6pm
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ouis Vuitton is synonymous with luxury. So nothing but the finest materials and finishes would do for the retailer’s new store in the upscale San Diego Fashion Valley mall. National retail construction company Dickinson Cameron gave the store the luxury treatment, ensuring that the finished design was as well-crafted as its products.
According to Dickinson Cameron project executive Ron Gordines, his team began with a blank slate, gutting half of the existing space while the other half remained opened for business. “We started with the layout of millwork, which had to be completely precise so that we could design the store around it,” Gordines says.
the store its luxe look. High-end wall treatments like Venetian plaster and rich maple wood add dimension and warmth to draw customers’ eyes into the space. And a complementary combination of Italian marble tiles inset with wood create a linear graphic pattern on the floor. Lighting was the finishing touch to Gordine’s luxe design. Crisp, bright white light foregrounds merchandise in the displays, while cove lighting delineates clean lines on the ceiling. “We used several elevations of soffits so that there is the illusion of ambient light without the trim,” Gordines says. “Details like the floor, millwork, and the lighting—these are what make this store uniquely Louis Vuitton.” That, and gorgeous LV monogrammed bags, of course. a
Once the millwork was installed, the team added detailed finishes that give Photos courtesy of Dickinson Cameron, dickinsoncameron.com
July 2013
The Man Behind the Music A recording studio designer creates inspirational spaces for music legends
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ihanna, Coldplay, W hitney Houston, and Jay-Z: In addition to some serious musical talent and lots of Grammys, these chart-topping superstars have all recorded at Quad Recording Studios in New York City. Some of the legendary studios were recently revamped by commercial and residential recording studio designer Lawrence P. Swist, whose designs have served as the backdrop for countless hit records. With 30 years of recording studio design experience, Swist has the process down
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to a science. “You have to consider two technical keys,” he says. “The first is isolation: Are you going to disturb your neighbors, and are they going to interrupt you? You have to design around both of those issues. The second is internal acoustics: How are you going to make sure the music from the recording studio translates sonically to the outside world?” Complicated sound wave calculations ultimately determine each studio’s ceiling heights, insulation layers, and other design details that satisfy technical requirements. But after that comes the fun part. “That’s where you get to stretch your design chops,” Swist says. “Recording studios are all about creating music, and providing inspiration and a sense of purpose through the design finishes is most important. The vibe of the finishes makes a person’s transformation into an artist happen when they walk through the door.” – Kathryn Freeman Rathbone
Founded in 1949, Industrial Acoustics Company has become the world’s largest provider of noise control and acoustic control products, structures and test facilities. IAC has a large and diverse product range some of which include TV and Radio Studios, Rooms for Music Practice, Audiology Rooms, Noise-Lock Doors and Windows.
Lawrence P. Swist has used noise-lock doors and windows by IAC Acoustics for many of his studio and music room projects. “Our high-design engineered noise control products, systems, and custom solutions are laboratory-developed and field-proven for performance,” says John Searson, IAC Acoustics product sales manager.
Industrial Acoustics Company, Inc. 1160 Commerce Avenue Bronx, New York 10462 www.industrialacoustics.com (718) 931-8000 Photos courtesy of Lawrence P. Swist Designs, lpswistdesigns.com
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Notes From the Bureau For Hotel Rouge, we were inspired by the existing Venus statues at the entrance and wanted to play up the hedonistic quality of the ancient Romans and Greeks. We wanted guests to feel like they were staying in a room at this fabulous house owned by this eccentric person. DB: How did you bring this narrative to life in the design?
ADS: We made the space more elegant but we also made it more intimate, more residential. It feels authentic, like someone’s house. We replaced the cork floors with red quartz that screams ‘rouge’ and introduced walnut veneer wall panels to make it warmer. The mirrored chrome and crystal accents add sparkle. There is a ruby slipper type of quality now that is hard to miss. We also added a photo mural of the Greek gods that is a focal point. It screams sex and sex appeal. It’s moody and provocative. This not a hotel where you would bring your children—it’s adult. Don’t say, ‘It’s nice.’ If it’s nice, it’s a failure. a
Seeing Red The provocative design of Hotel Rouge seduces its guests with sexy style
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ex sells. Just ask Dawson Design Associates principal and creative director Andrea Dawson Sheehan, whose team recently reinvigorated Washington D.C.’s Hotel Rouge with a racy new design that’s heavy on the sex appeal. Sheehan reveals her dirty little secrets behind the revamp of Rouge.
DB: The hotel is only 12 years old. Why the need to reconcept it now?
Andrea Dawson Sheehan: When this hotel was built it was one of the first boutique hotels in D.C., and this neighborhood was still up-and-coming. But the neighborhood has grown up around it and has become very fashionable. So we wanted the product to evolve with it. We took it to the next level of luxury and fashion-forward design.
Photos by Paul Gelsobello Studio, paulgelsobellostudio.com
DB: What was the original design concept for Hotel Rouge?
ADS: It was based on Moulin Rouge. The space was conceived as an adult playground, a combination hotel and nightclub. It had that burlesque quality to it but with an urban slant. At the same time, there were lots of retro elements to the design like cork floors and a lobby that had a ’60s-era quality to it.
“Don’t say, ‘It’s nice.’ If it’s nice, it’s a failure.” – ANDREA DAWSON SHEEHAN DB: As you were getting started, how did you approach the re-concepting?
ADS: We have a very artistic bent to how we do things. Our designers create a vortex of ideas and we bring them all to the table. It’s almost like Pinterest. From there, we create a narrative around an imagined eccentric personality, and we pick elements that would work for them.
Dawson Design Associates spiced up Hotel Rouge with new high-end finishes and furnishings. To help achieve the look, Sheehan turned to fine furniture manufacturer Saniharto, which provided casegoods and upholstery for the project. Founded in early 1990 by the four Enggalhardjo brothers, the company creates custom furniture using heritagequality construction and finishes. The company specializes in solid and veneer wood products from casegoods to
millwork, and creates one-of-a-kind pieces using detailed techniques such as mosaic designs, inlays, bentwood, and carvings. Since designing furnishings for its first hotel more than 15 years ago, Saniharto has provided its custom designs for numerous hospitality projects, including Kimpton Hotels’ Alexis Hotel, Grand Hotel, Topaz Hotel, and Sir Francis Drake Hotel, all designed by Dawson Design Associates.
© Sir Francis Drake. Design by Dawson Design Associates, Inc.
© Sheraton Delfina. Design by Dawson Design Associates, Inc.
© Hotel Monaco Seattle. Design by Dawson Design Associates, Inc.
Saniharto is one of the world's leading manufacturing companies, specializing in custom state-of-the-art residential and contract furniture for the luxury hotel and apartment market. www.saniharto.com
FACTORY Jl. Raya Semarang-Demak Km. 12,9 Semarang 59563 – Indonesia T +62 24 6582 380 F +62 24 6582 381 sales@saniharto.com
SANIHARTO USA PO Box 3737 Napa, CA 94558 – USA T +1 707 9273 950 F +1 707 9273 954 saniharto.usa@gmail.com
SANIHARTO EUROPE Beech House 4 Holt Gardens, Moberley Cheshire, WA167LH – England T +44 1565 872505 F +44 1772 610633 sales@saniharto.co.uk
SANIHARTO MIDDLE EAST PO Bo 503030 Dubai - UAE ian.richardson@saniharto.co.uk
DESIGN BUREAU
Design Thinking
July 2013
Notes From the Bureau
Coastal Classic Historical architecture is revised in the design of a beach house
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rchitect Don Ritz didn’t set out to reinvent history when designing this new-construction beach house in Hull, Massachusetts. He just wanted to reimagine it a little. Ritz drew from a wide range of references—from classic New England architecture to the Coast Guard—to create a home that is one part history, one part imagination, and 100 percent original.
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Ritz didn’t have to look far to find inspiration for the exterior architecture. “The 1900s were Hull’s shingle-style heyday, making the style perfect for New England Coastal locations,� he says. The house’s loggias, or shingle-style arches, are reminiscent of Hull’s architecture, establishing the house as quintessentially local. Ritz also made sure that the inhabitants were aware of the house’s close proximity to Boston. “The owner has a townhouse in downtown Boston.
You can see the skyline from the [Hull] house’s pair of lookout towers,� establishing a link between two important areas of New England, Ritz says. Ritz reimagined history in other parts of the home. The two towers, for example, are designed in the style of the shingled watchtowers used by the early Coast Guard to keep a lookout for vessels in distress, but they sport steel balconies. “Even though I’ve never seen evidence of steel balconies on historic [residences], it could have happened in the 1900s. Buildings had steel fire escapes and steel was used for other utilitarian purposes, but the way it looks now is very ‘steampunk.’� And the two distinct wings of the home recall another literary reference. “With the right combination of open doors,� says Ritz, “you can see across both wings, the whole house. You can have a big party with a group of people in each wing.� We think Gatsby would approve. – Jordan Mainzer
Artful Interiors
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North Carolina gallery owners bring their work home
B To meet local coastline building codes, the project required a deep foundation system that would elevate the first floor of the beach house at least seven feet. Atlas Systems of
Photos by Richard Green
New England met the challenge. “We have installed many pier systems along the coastline for various challenging projects,� Atlas president Dennis P. Geisser says.
ringing work home isn’t always a bad idea. In fact, it actually helped Margaret “Kenny� Offermann and Russell Medford to achieve a better work-life balance. The busy couple— who both juggle careers in medicine along with owning Artetude Gallery in Asheville—turned their North Carolina vacation home into an extension of their gallery space. Designers Talli AllenRoberts and Sharon Allard of Allard & Roberts Interior Design helped the creative couple to design a home where their family and contemporary sculpture and fine artwork collection could live in harmony.
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“It was about showcasing the beauty of handmade things.” – TALLI ALLEN-ROBERTS
Introspection by Leonid Siveriver
“You don’t want to compete with the view—whether it’s of the landscape outside or the artwork inside—so we intentionally chose a monochromatic palette and kept it interesting by playing with texture,” says Allard. Working with a local fabricator, Allen-Roberts and Allard designed a custom built-in for the great room, which provides a flexible display space, much like the rotating displays in a gallery. A neutral color palette shows off the hand-hewn furnishings and other objets d’art. With their deep appreciation for works of the hand (in addition to owning the gallery, Russell comes from a family of artists, and enjoys photography himself), the couple asked Allen-Roberts and Allard to choose handcrafted and
Homeowners Margaret “Kenny” Offermann and Russell Medford founded Artetude Gallery to share their love of contemporary art with others. “Our goal is to help our collectors realize their
personal and unique visions in building contemporary art collections of substance and meaning in both their home and office settings,” says Offermann.
Forget Me Knot by Karen Titus Smith locally made furnishings to complete the space. The great room built-in is made of reclaimed wood, the kitchen bar stools were crafted by a local furniture maker, and the console desk in the master bedroom is from a local gallery. “It wasn’t just about creating a look,” says AllenRoberts, “but about showcasing the beauty of handmade things.” a
Photos by David Dietrich Photography, daviddietrichphoto.com
Located in the heart of downtown Asheville. Celebrating our first birthday on June 1, 2013. Artetude Gallery
89 Patton Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801 p 828-252-1466 / artetudegaller y.com
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A. T. LEONARD & ASSOCIATES
Design Thinking
July 2013
Notes From the Bureau
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE · PLANNING
Landscape and architectural planners A.T. Leonard & Associates created a design that complemented DiMella Shaffer’s architecture at Fitchburg State. “The glass tower needed a large plaza to ground the structure and provide a scaled perspective to appreciate the architectural detail,” says principal Andrew T. Leonard.
You Are Here A small New England university reorients itself to the city
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ust over the hill on the Fitchburg State University campus, a newly renovated student center has given the small Massachusetts school a fresh perspective. Once a disorienting eyesore, the new Hammond Campus Center by Boston-based architecture firm DiMella Shaffer is now the centerpiece of the university.
Shaping Landscapes
for Living and Learning
Landscape architecture and planning are more than a pretty picture. It is about creating places for people to pursue life, knowledge, and happiness. Our mission is to shape landscapes for our clients where art meets science, where beauty is felt as much as seen, where function and budget are considered, and where context, history and environment matter.
www.atleonard.com 978.386.1212
Before the redesign, the building looked more like a drab office space than a student center. With its rust-colored brick, dark ribbon windows and hard-to-find main entrance, the building was not inviting to the students or the passersby on the main road that connected the university to downtown. But perhaps the biggest problem was that the back of the building was two stories higher than the basement floor and its central stairs were enclosed in concrete cylinders, making wayfinding challenging for students. “This project was about identity and clarity,” DiMella Shaffer principal Ed Hodges says. “The school needed a bold statement that would reorient the campus to the city and solve all
the accessibility and system-level issues relating to the building.” Hodges and his team had a solution, and it began with semantics. “We literally changed the name of the floor from the ‘basement floor’ to the ‘street level,’” project manager Alex Adkins says. The firm then redesigned the building, proposing a sleek glass tower and cascading open stairway to link the two entrances. The new glass stairway now physically and visually connects the two entrances. The tower stands as a welcoming beacon to the student body and larger community alike, who can now see each other from both sides of the glass window walls. “You can see how proud the students are,” Hodges says. “One student even said that he felt like he was going to an Ivy League school.” – Ann Chou
Photos by Robert Benson Photography, robertbensonphoto.com
July 2013
Family Guys Meet two dads who design Chicago’s hippest hangouts
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hicago-based D+K Architects is a driving force in the city’s nightlife scene, designing many of its trendy new bars, nightclubs, and restaurants. But founders Corey Dunne and Paul Kozlowski are not the club-going types— they’re family men. “We laugh about it all the time,” says Dunne. “Here we are, with kids running around everywhere, designing some of the hottest clubs in the city.” Just how did two dedicated dads end up designing the city’s hottest bachelor hangouts? It happened by accident, says Dunne. The duo started out in commercial and residential architecture and design, receiving most of their work through referrals. Then one of their commercial real estate clients referred the
Design Thinking
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team to a college friend who wanted to open a nightclub. “One thing led to another, and here we are,” Dunne says. With more than 40 hospitality projects under their belt or in progress, Dunne and Kozlowski are now experts in the design of hip hotspots, including Cuvée, Estate Ultra Bar, and The Savoy. Surprisingly, in an industry of excess, they advocate restraint when it comes to design. “In hospitality, showing restraint can be difficult,” says Dunne. “Our goal is to create a backdrop for the center of attention, the people.” Accordingly, for nightclub Cuvée the team installed a VIP area in the center of the space and more or less turned it into a stage where clubgoers can see and be seen. In general, they are careful to make sure that there are no dead spots in their designs, Dunne says. “We have to make sure that no matter where you’re at, you feel like you are in the middle of the action.” – Heidi Kulicke
“Here we are, with kids running around, designing some of the hottest clubs in the city.” – COREY DUNNE Chicago hotspots designed by D+K (clockwise from top left): Estate Ultra Bar in Goose Island; The Savoy restaurant in Wicker Park, and Cuvée nightclub in River North.
Photos by Jacob Clary
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MODERN
EVOLUTION ROBERT SONNEMAN REFLECTS ON 50 YEARS OF MODERN LIGHTING DESIGN BY ELIZABETH HALL / PHOTOS BY JONATHAN PILKINGTON
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“I
WAS 19, THREE DAYS OUT OF THE NAVY, AND I ANSWERED AN AD FOR GEORGE KOVACS’ LIGHTING STORE. THAT’S WHERE I WAS AWAKENED BY THE EUROPEAN NOTION OF MODERNISM.” And so began Robert Sonneman’s modernist education. Three years later Sonneman started his own lighting line. Soon, the boy who was awed by European modernism would go on to redefine the genre for American audiences, designing and manufacturing lighting and home products for Macy’s, Stanley Furniture, and eventually overseeing home product development for the quintessential American brand, Ralph Lauren.
A decade ago, Sonneman returned to his lighting roots and launched Sonneman—A Way of Light to focus exclusively on contemporary lighting. After coming full circle in his nearly 50-year career, Sonneman reflects on how modernism shaped his designs and evolved into an American staple. CONTINUED
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SONNEMAN'S STYLE
Opposite page: Vintage ad for Sonneman collection at Bloomingdale's
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1. Axes, 2013 2. Atelier, 2012 3. Orbiter, 1967 4. Bel Air, 2013 5. Quattro, 2013
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EH: How did modern lighting design come of age in America?
(CONTINUED)
Robert Sonneman: The lighting industry was once locally based and essentially traditionally styled. The factories that populated the boroughs of industrial New York and the northeast were small, independent family operations that never looked beyond the American shores for market or production. When I began to make and sell lamp designs based upon the European functionalist modern aesthetic, it was an enigma to the mainstream. Although it received a great deal of notice and press interest, modern was a tough sell in the market. EH: How has the lighting landscape changed since then?
RS: Today the paradigm has shifted. We travel the world for inspiration; we produce in Asia and our vision has turned to the innovative and contemporary genres. Lighting has evolved from burning fuel or filaments to providing electronic illumination, generating brightness, infinite color, and programmable control. We have only just begun to investigate, understand, and develop its possibilities. EH: How has your take on modernism shifted?
RS: As a Mies disciple, I come from Bauhaus roots. But as contemporary architectural design has changed and morphed into several genres of style and points of view, I have also expanded my vision and perspective while
Product photos and ad courtesy of Robert Sonneman, sonnemanawayoflight.com
adhering to the dogma of the original ‘industrial modern aesthetic.’ I learned color from the post-modernists, shape from the sculpturalists, and mixed metaphors from the deconstructionists and industrial revisionists. DB: How would you define the state of American modernism today?
RS: When I describe our brand and our product as ‘American cosmopolitan’ in style, I am describing the diversity of the American contemporary vision from the ‘industrial urban edge’ to ‘ornamental deco’ and from a ‘warm western contemporary’ feel to the streamlined sophistication and stark presence of pure modernism. American style is not rooted in a singular style or philosophy; it is diverse and eclectic. a
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ON THE
RISE RISE crystalline clear Khan was inspired by reflective ice crystals when designing this installation for Swarovski’s 2012 Design Miami exhibit.
One of London’s most talented young architects proves you don’t have to be a starchitect to make history BY SARAH HANDELMAN PHOTOS BY MICHAEL PISARRI
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sif Khan’s East London architecture studio is filled with an overwhelming amount of stuff. Old models, coffee mugs, papers, laptops, books, and bicycles bedeck every shelf, desk, and corner in the nest-like room. “I’m always collecting things and seeing things and absorbing stuff,” Khan says. “This collection is a visual library, and I don’t tend to edit it. It just grows.” Surprisingly, the effect is far from cramped. Khan’s office, which is situated on the gallery scene’s much-adored Vyner Street, seems to serve as a snapshot of what happens when a career takes off without much warning. Despite having moved in five years before, Khan and his team of 10 only recently added a nameplate to their door—it seems they’ve been too busy to notice. Even before he graduated from London’s Architectural Association in 2007, Khan’s career was propelling at a breakneck speed. Knowing that the typical post-collegiate path of many young graduates involves joining a starchitect’s well-established firm, Khan realized that a move like that would only stop his momentum. So he went against the grain and established his own practice. It was a bold decision that has allowed him to choose his own projects, lead his own team, and see personal success much sooner—all at the age of 34. “In school, the idea that you would assume the role of a heroic architect was purveyed to everyone,” he says. “We read the books. We saw the drawings. We said, ‘Hey that’s me in a few years.’ Then as time goes on, you realize it’s very difficult to get there. I guess I was bored of the academic route and the rhetoric, and examination method. I found I could get further and get more done by myself and on the phone just by talking to the right people.” The native South Londoner strives to make evocative yet relatable architecture with his practice; work that welcomes all kinds of visitors and new ideas. And in his relatively short six-year career, Khan has collaborated with major clients for big, global events—like Olympics big.
Project: Parhelia Khan’s design features more than 1 million Swarovski crystals in a 20-foot-tall cabin-like structure.
Khan teamed with fellow architect and former classmate Pernilla Ohrstedt to design the Coca-Cola Beatbox pavilion at the 2012 London Olympic Games. The building’s angular design used more than 200 interlocking, touch-sensitive ETFE plastic pillows, programmed with individual audio tracks recorded by über-cool music producer Mark Ronson, which enabled visitors to ‘play’ the entire structure. And although the Olympic design rules stipulated that one-third of any façade in the sponsor pavilion was allowed to be devoted to logos, Khan’s design for Coca-Cola was completely logo-less. “As a Londoner, I was aware of the cynicism surrounding the Olympics, and the negativity the British public has towards corporate branding,” he says. “To diffuse this, I thought we could remove all logos, to engage people at a level who don’t normally think positively about sponsors. It was branded; the color was there, but it was really generous. I wanted to prove to Coke that without the logo, everyone would still know who they were, and they’d love them for it.” The Olympic design proved to be massively successful, and as a result of the pavilion triumph, product commissions and sketches for competition proposals piled up as Khan and his team hurried to finalize the logistics of Parhelia, another mega collaboration with Swarovski for 2012’s Design Miami. “I had talked to Swarovski early on about trying to make architecture with crystals, and the Design Miami commission came out of that idea. We weren’t sure where to begin, but I wanted to explore the interaction of light and make it a tangible thing.” Khan and company designed a cabin-like pavilion made from honeycomb sheets of fused crystal to create an effect inspired by the naturally occurring light formations the structure was named after. Although he was clearly driving the creative team, Khan says it was a project born from collaboration. (CONTINUED)
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“Most of the projects we work on are a shared journey with the client. While we may not have the same picture in our minds of where we’re headed, those pictures tend to meet in the middle. We pull each other towards something we couldn’t have done separately.” (CONTINUED)
It’s a refreshing point of view, especially for a corporate partnership. At a time when the field might seem gloomy to some, Khan is genuinely excited about his profession, and his boyish enthusiasm—about almost anything, from collecting to science—is contagious. He is, however, methodical with both his work and choice of words, but not without seamlessly dipping in and out of academic theory, office banter, industry jargon, and his own biting selfcriticism. Hearing Khan speak about both the accomplishments and challenges he faces makes it easy to understand why in 2011, Design Miami had already named him Designer of the Future.
But don’t think the accolades have gone to his head; he realizes he’s still relatively new to the game. “I guess it’s sort of early in my career, but it’d be nice to return to things to make longer explorations. That’s why you keep all these things around—because they continue to go through iterations: The first version is what you initially saw. The second happens, almost as if you’re sculpting, and it becomes better than what you saw. And it goes on.” It goes on, and will continue to go on for Khan, whose evergrowing project list includes new top-secret designs for a hotel and restaurant, and a building for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. While Khan remains hush-hush about specifics, it’s clear that by doing his own thing, he is going places. “There’s something about imagining as far as you can go with an idea and then reaching it, and realizing you’re in another center again,” he says. “And then you’re wondering, ‘Now, where can I go from here?’” a
“NO ONE HAD ASKED COCA-COLA TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, BUT I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING AMAZING FOR THEM, AND I WANTED IT TO BE REMEMBERED.” – ASIF KHAN
Corporate collab Two of Khan’s biggest projects involved major global brands. This page: Parhelia for Swarovski. Left: Coca-Cola’s Beatbox Pavilion for the 2012 London Olympics
MUSICIANS For working musicians, life on the road is a big part of the job. But they all have to come back sometime. We went knocking on the doors to the flats, A-frames, and 100-year-old houses of musicians from L.A. to London for an exclusive look at the spaces and stuff that make them feel at home.
S AT HOME
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Todd & Orenda Fink
THE FAINT AZURE RAY MUSICIANS
AT HOME
BY JOEL HOGLUND PHOTOS BY DANIEL MULLER
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odd and Orenda Fink’s home in Omaha, Nebraska, celebrated its 100th birthday this year. Todd, the front man of synth-rock royalty The Faint, rented out the house he’d owned for more than a decade while he and his wife Orenda, the enchanting voice behind dreamy duo Azure Ray, moved around (and toured, of course). A year and a half ago they settled into the historic house and, between recording projects and world travels, began finally putting their own personalities into the century-old space. “I’m finding this house to have a great creative spirit,” says Orenda. “I think it is because we have had so many creative people living here over the years. It’s just in the bones of the house now.”
JH: As a married couple, do you find that your styles overlap or do you each gravitate toward different looks?
Orenda Fink: I like the idea of our surroundings being comfortable but inspiring. I want my home to be fun but also a respite for when we feel like weary travelers. Todd and I definitely gravitate toward different looks, but the longer we are together the more they overlap. He is drawn to more modern designs and I prefer pieces and textures with some age on them. We used to fight about designing the house but now our styles fit together quite nicely. CONTINUED
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Todd & Orenda Fink
The Faint / Azure Ray COLOR RIOT Caribbean-inspired greens, yellows, and blues make walls and ceilings pop throughout the home. “Bold colors and shapes tend to catch my eye,” says Todd. “You can see them on most Faint artwork.” He designed the artwork (and coproduced) Azure Ray’s 2012 EP and says it’s only a matter of time before he and Orenda form their own band.
JH: Has either of you ever vetoed the other’s choice of decor? (CONTINUED)
OF: I have definitely vetoed some of Todd’s contributions to the house. I think one was a fake mounted cat’s head. And another that comes to mind was a plastic sperm-shaped liquor container...? Todd Fink: I’m sure I have vetoed things in the past, but I’m wiser than that now. JH: World travels have had a huge impact on the music you make—have they affected your home?
OF: My first travels were through India and Cambodia, then Todd and I were inspired to visit Haiti
and were so taken that we went back two more times and took our friend Chris Lawson. Traveling with an artist like Chris who works in multimedia collage with found objects creates a unique vision of the history and culture of a country. So collecting his pieces that have been created on our travels, and the local art that we acquired, are beautiful and meaningful testaments to our time both together and with our new and old friends. I like to be surrounded by these things.
CONTINUED
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Todd & Orenda Fink
The Faint / Azure Ray
“I’M FINDING THIS HOUSE TO I think it is because we have had here over the years. It’s just in the
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HAVE A GREAT CREATIVE SPIRIT. so many creative people living bones of the house now.�
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Todd & Orenda Fink
The Faint / Azure Ray
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The Faint / Azure Ray
Todd & Orenda Fink
HOME AUDIO Pianos, organs, synths, and guitars spill from their individual studios to become a part of the home’s decor. Todd even cites his all-white Moog Voyager synthesizer as his favorite item in the house. The couple are working together this summer on new tracks for Orenda’s Harouki Zombi side project, and Todd is prepping a new Faint album for the fall.
JH: How does the vibe in your house affect the music you write there? (CONTINUED)
TF: My mind is a scattered one and I am easily distracted, so I like my studio to be uncluttered. I chose a calming but bold blue color. I use the studio at night because the lighting is important to me. I like glowing surfaces, so on a budget, that translates to up-lighting and light-up globes. I want to feel like I’m in a simple, tidy spaceship. My hope is that futuristic music may have an easier time coming from a modern room than a historic one. JH: What inspires your personal aesthetic? Do you draw influences from the design world?
OF: I like things that fall apart beautifully. I really love French and Spanish colonial architecture and French Victorian patterns. I like wood and fabric and warm-feeling surfaces. TF: I like to take a close look at objects and imagine the decision-making process that created them. It’s the same thing I do when I listen to music. I imagine the motivations and the priorities behind the design. Like, what kind of person made this? A lot of times I wish that whoever it was would’ve worked on it a little more. I appreciate the art of whittling down complexity to its simplest form. a
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Rachel Trachtenburg
SUPERCUTE! MUSICIANS
AT HOME
BY LAURA NEILSON PHOTOS BY NOAH KALINA
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ith 13 years as a performing musician under her belt, it’s easy to forget Rachel Trachtenburg is still a teenager— until you see her bedroom in the Brooklyn apartment she shares with her parents. The indigo-hued playroom is scattered with secondhand books, cartoonish mushroom art, and assorted DIY craftworks. Somehow all of it comes together in a perfect mishmash harmony. Two days before heading off on tour to support her new album Don’t Pop My Bubble with her band Supercute!, the 19-year-old who started out at the age of 6 playing drums for her parents’ indie-rock outfit, The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, gave us a tour of her psychedelic abode. CONTINUED
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Rachel Trachtenburg
Supercute!
THE NEW CUTENESS Several of the guitars and ukuleles in Trachtenburg’s impressive collection were gifts from friends. When she’s on the road she takes little things from her room to make her feel more at home. “I have little things, like my perfume, or books. I’ll bring five books and not even open them—it’s just the idea of having them there,” she says.
(CONTINUED)
LN: Did you paint this space yourself?
Rachel Trachtenburg: Yeah. I’ve only lived here for two months. I used to live in another bedroom where everything was pink. I was like, ‘OK, now you’re grown up, I’m gonna do blue.’ I went to the hardware store and said I wanted an evening blue, but it was more like ‘Blue Man’s Group’ blue. So I added a bunch of purples and other colors and thought I could fade it. It’s four different colors in different areas. LN: How would you describe your style and aesthetic in general?
RT: Twisted-sweet. I really love candy and colors and psychedelic stuff. I sew a lot of my own clothes, so they’re always fitted weird and falling apart. Very do-it-yourself, that kind of thing. And I’ve been embroidering a lot, so that’s been fun. LN: In terms of being creative, have you always been allowed to do your own thing?
RT: Oh yeah! If anything, I’ve been encouraged to do something and express myself. If I came in here and said I was going to leave it white, my mom would be like, ‘I’ll go to the hardware store with you. Let’s go get some paint.’
LN: What influences your sense of style?
RT: For the most part, it’s just the environment that I’m in—my parents, how creative and productive they are. A good amount is music. I’ll listen to [Pink Floyd’s] Atom Heart Mother and I’ll just sit here and light some candles and be inspired to do anything—physical handiwork or whatever, whether it’s sewing or painting or drawing. A good amount is from reading different kids’ books. LN: The place definitely has a fairy-tale feel to it. Have you been reading a lot of those?
RT: I was never really exposed to fairy tales much growing up, and I think it’s probably a little from that. My mom was very anti-Disney. And it’s magical because I don’t have a connection, so I can discover them at this age where I’ve already had my childhood things. LN: Is this room a creative space for you?
RT: It’s my favorite place on earth right now. It’s fun to do different things with it. This is my main creative area, and where I do everything. I need to have complete privacy to be able to sit down and write a song. a
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David Maclean
DJANGO DJANGO MUSICIANS
AT HOME
BY PENELOPE BARTLETT PHOTOS BY FIONA GARDEN
D
jango Django’s infectious blend of synth-pop and psychedelia has earned them widespread acclaim—not just from the masses who dance through the band’s rousing live shows, but from fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, who declared them his favorite band. Scottish-born drummer, producer, and bandleader David Maclean has a distinctive eye for fashion and design himself— he studied at Edinburgh College of Art and designs the band’s album covers and matching T-shirts by hand. Just before heading out on a U.S. tour in support of Django Django’s Mercury Prize-nominated eponymous debut album, Maclean showed us around his home in Seven Sisters, London, which houses his collections of vinyl, poster art, and generally odd objects. CONTINUED
“I’M ALWAYS KEEPING MY EYE out for weird objects to buy—I’m going to end up on Hoarders.”
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David Maclean
Django Django CONTROLLED CHAOS Maclean’s love of collecting shows in his London flat, where cool odds and ends add a curio-shop character to the space. Many of his unusual objects are acquired from offthe-beaten-path stops while Django Django is on the road—like the antique glove mold he scored in Columbus, Ohio, after our visit. “My current favorite find,” he gushes.
PB: You have a lot of interesting stuff in your home—what do you collect, and why? (CONTINUED)
David Maclean: It’s a habit that started with comics when I was growing up. I would obsess over organizing them, putting them in alphabetical order, and just the simple joy of collecting something. Comics moved into vinyl, and now that’s my biggest fixation. I love to hang out with my records and clean them and put them in order and just look at them. It’s totally geeky! But I think that goes over into clothes, and shoes... I just love buying stuff. I’m always keeping my eye out for weird objects to buy. I’ve got quite a big poster collection, too.
Anything really... cool teapots... I’m going to end up on Hoarders. What you see is probably only 5 percent of my whole collection. PB: Your home is neat and the collections are well organized, though. Is order important to you as part of your creative process?
DM: Well, I put all the dirty dishes out in the garden when the photographer came over. Really, I think it’s very true that if you keep things organized, your brain is free of clutter as well. But that doesn’t always work for me. I also have two studio spaces in CONTINUED
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Django Django
David Maclean
HAND OF MACLEAN Aesthetics are important to Maclean both in his home and his band. He credits everything from 1960s garage bands and Motown groups through to Devo and New Wave as influences on the visual aspects of Django Django, who worked with artist Kim Coleman on the trippy light design that has become a signature of its live show.
the city which kind of resemble flea markets themselves right now. (CONTINUED)
PB: What are your favorite places to shop for new additions to your collections?
DM: Glasgow Barrowlands and Dens Road Market in Dundee in Scotland. Uncle Fun in Chicago for stickers and comics. Flea markets in New York and Barcelona, junk shops in Prague and Hamburg. Amoeba Records in L.A. When I find myself back in a city, I usually know exactly where to go. In a new city I love to just wander around and get lost and find strange little places to check out.
PB: How does your background in visual art influence your style?
DM: Both my parents were painters. I grew up in a house full of folk art, art books, and beautiful, unusual objects, and this definitely turned me on to collecting at an early age. After art college, I saw the band as an outlet to continue to make art: We design every part of the band that has a visual aspect. We’ve always performed in matching outfits, whether it was safari suits we found in junk shops, or matching suits or T-shirts we’ve made. We’re not going to get up on stage with any old crap clothes on! a
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Gretta Rochelle & Jack Armondo
MY GOLD MASK MUSICIANS
AT HOME
BY JOEL HOGLUND PHOTOS BY RYAN LOWRY
A
nylon string guitar. A standing drum kit. With these modest tools Gretta Rochelle and Jack Armondo of Chicago duo My Gold Mask create a swirling, stomping whirlpool of sound, with Rochelle’s voice shimmering above an exquisite darkness. The Bucktown apartment they share, with its shocks of color and scads of toys, is quite another story. An eclectic mash-up of pop culture influences, comic-geek collectibles, family heirlooms, and religious artwork informs their aesthetic—its comfy vibe running somewhat counter to the sonic ground they cover on their 2013 album Leave Me Midnight. “Our music,” Armondo warns, “isn’t always as lighthearted as our home.”
JH: Your home has a ‘fun’ vibe—does one of you influence that look?
Gretta Rochelle: Jack has the toys and comics. I have a lot of Catholic and Día de Los Muertos paraphernalia. Our styles overlap. We both like a cozy environment at home. I love mixing different eras of decor, like 1970s swag lamps with his pop art signs and my Depression-era armchair with a 1960s kitchen table. I have no rules when it comes to decor. If it feels good, it usually means it looks good. Jack Armondo: Totally. Something that feels secure after returning from the road, like a home base. CONTINUED
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Gretta Rochelle & Jack Armondo
My Gold Mask
“OUR MUSIC isn’t always as lighthearted as our home.”
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My Gold Mask
Gretta Rochelle & Jack Armondo
FUN HOUSE “Fashion, pop culture, art, movies, and music are probably the biggest inspirations on our aesthetics,” says Rochelle. “We also tend to gravitate towards things that are slightly subversive in nature. We both appreciate good design and admire the attention to detail that comes along with that. It’s something we strive for in our own art.”
(CONTINUED)
JH: Do you ‘go shopping’ to decorate?
JA: Most everything is a hodgepodge of things we’ve acquired. It’s sort of fallen into place. Occasionally we go out and buy something, but it’s more by chance. To us, it’s all about how we put things together and make them work with each other. It’s kind of how we write songs sometimes, actually. JH: Does everything in your home have a story?
GR: It does for me. There’s a painting in our bedroom by Jesse Gross that we loved so much we made it album art for our first release. Things like the cuckoo clock and the red velvet chair in our kitchen were handed down from my grandparents.
The hanging lamp was a present from Jack. I’d had my eye on this swag lamp for years. I typically don’t bring things into the house unless they make an impression. I tend to hold on tight to things that are given to me. I’m a little bit of a pack rat. JH: Do you ever disagree over decor?
JA: All the time, actually. Gretta likes religious objects—not because she is actually religious, but she likes the art of it. But I was raised Catholic as a kid, so sometimes it’s a little much for me. GR: I’m not allowed to bring any more Jesus objects into our home. Even ones with glitter on them. a
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Sam Spiegel
N.A.S.A. / MAXIMUM HEDRUM MUSICIANS
AT HOME
BY ARYN BEITZ PHOTOS BY RAINBEAU SEITZ
S
am Spiegel loves making music so much that he spent five years seeking out his A-frame in the Hollywood Hills because he dug the acoustics the classic architectural style created. It’s a must for the mastermind behind the new group Maximum Hedrum and hip-hop duo N.A.S.A.—whose musical collaborations with artists like David Byrne, Chuck D, Tom Waits, Kanye West, Karen O, George Clinton, Method Man, and more were chronicled in the recent documentary N.A.S.A. The Spirit of Apollo. Spiegel, who has also collaborated with visual artists like Shepard Fairey and his brother, filmmaker Spike Jonze, needed a home that not only complements his minimalist design sensibilities, but also is inviting and spacious enough to house a recording studio and his (many) friends comfortably. CONTINUED
“WHEN I MOVED into this house, I wanted it to be empty for a while. I want to take my time collecting the right pieces, rather than just buying pieces for the meantime.�
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N.A.S.A. / Maximum Hedrum
MODERN MAN Patience has paid off for Spiegel. He spent five years looking for the perfect house to suit his style, then took his time amassing a collection of designer furniture that includes a Roche Bobois Mah Jong sofa, Eero Aarnio Ball and Tomato Chairs, and Flos’ Arco floor lamp.
AB: We love the classic architecture of your house. Were you specifically looking for an A-frame? (CONTINUED)
Sam Spiegel: A few years back, I scored a Kevin Smith film called Cop Out with musician Harold Faltermeyer in a rented A-frame in Lake Tahoe. I discovered how great the acoustics are in A-frames and proceeded to spend five years looking for the right place. As soon as I saw this house, I knew it had to be mine—even though it wasn’t on the market yet. AB: It looks like you’re a fan of classic designer furniture, too. Tell us about some of your pieces.
SS: My brother gave me the white rug for my birthday. For a while, it was the only thing in the room and that’s where people would sit when they came over. I was looking at a bunch of different sofas and went into Roche Bobois one day and fell in love with the Mah Jong sofa. It feels very ’70s style to me and the fabric is so amazing. I’ve always wanted an egg chair with speakers—as far as I’m concerned, it’s the quintessential space-age chair. I also love my Tomato Chair by Eero Aarnio—his work is really fun and inspiring.
Sam Spiegel
AB: Your home is pretty minimal—is it a reflection of your overall design philosophy?
SS: My old house—which also doubled as my studio and office—had gear and equipment in every crevice and built up on every wall possible, so when I moved into this house, I wanted it to be empty for a while so I could create some headspace. I wanted absolutely no clutter. I’ve been slowly adding furniture and art, but I want to take my time collecting the right pieces, rather than just buying pieces for the meantime. AB: As a musician and performer, how important is personal style to you? Are there musicians whose style inspires you?
SS: I think M.I.A. has a really cool, unique style, and she’s just an inspiring person in general. I also think André 3000 has pretty dope style. Personal style is definitely important to me and influences the people I’m inspired by. Maybe it’s superficial, but at the same time, when I like the way someone looks, it’s appealing to me and makes me more attracted to what they’re all about and the music they make. a
√ tour Ireland on bicycle √ play Pebble Beach do something with garage
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July 2013
Columns
DESIGN BUREAU
BUREAU of ERGONOMICS
INSTRUMENTAL BREAKDOWNS of the Body Certified Ergonomist Dr. Rob Tannen explains why jamming out isn’t always so kind to rock stars’ bodies
A:
Watching professional musicians perform, I wonder whether they have physical problems from playing all of the time?
If you were to ask an ergonomics expert to come up with a worstcase scenario, it might include sitting for long periods of time and performing rapid, repetitive motions with unusual postures—in other words, playing a musical instrument. Musical performance typically involves multiple physical tasks: manipulation of hands and fingers, sometimes mouth and feet, supporting the instrument, and reading music. Ergonomic issues are applicable not only to performance, but also to repetitive practicing and even tuning and transporting instruments (especially larger ones). A critical aspect in learning how to play an instrument is adapting to its ergonomic demands to both play effectively and to avoid injury. Although some of the most renowned musicians used unconventional techniques (Jimi Hendrix played a right-handed guitar with lefty
Have a question for Dr. Rob? email letters@wearedesignbureau.com
strings), the majority of musicians must gain appropriate control of force and posture to achieve long-term success; for example, learning how to strike a piano key for maximum acoustic impact without maximum physical force. Musical instruments are largely still based on traditional designs and have been very slow to change. Even the most high-tech digital synthesizers
directly reproduce the layout and weighting of the traditional piano keyboard. But when ergonomic improvements lead to clear increases in musical performance, they tend to last, as with cutaway guitar bodies enabling easier access to the fretboard. In the end, playing any musical instrument well is a challenging and dynamic physical activity where training and technique enable the adaptive ability of the human body.
What is considered the most difficult instrument to play?
A:
Any “most” question inevitably leads to disagreement and contention, so it’s important to define criteria. Playing an instrument is one thing, mastering it another. Almost anyone can play a simple drum rhythm, but it takes extraordinary coordination to play a syncopated rhythm on a full drum kit. But in many discussions, the instrument that seems to come up consistently is the harp. Creating lush, angelic sounds means overcoming some of the most challenging features of many difficult instruments combined: two hands playing individually (like a piano),
plucking strings (like a guitar), and controlling foot pedals (like an organ). Not to mention it’s no fun to lug around, with concert harps weighing in between 80 and 90 pounds. A more objective measure of the level of difficulty is determined by the number of injuries suffered by instrumentalists. Harpists have among the highest upper extremity injury rate among musicians according to a medical study. So argue amongst yourselves on who has it the worst, but know that even the most hard-core drummer doesn’t have it as bad as harpists do. a
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DESIGN BUREAU
Columns
July 2013
IMAGE, STYLE, DESIGN
What’s With the New? Why we feel the need to be constantly renewing and refreshing our homes BY STEVEN FISCHER
R
ecently, I was perusing the 1969 first edition of Ira Bach’s classic tour book, Chicago on Foot, and found that many of the architectural gems listed as “must sees” are no longer. Among the lost greats: the original Chicago Stock Exchange building, designed by “the father of skyscrapers” Louis Sullivan; and the iconic Chicago Sun-Times newspaper building. This tear-down mentality isn’t just affecting classic Chicago buildings. It’s an epidemic that has swept through many old neighborhoods and suburbs throughout the country. In many cases, a beautiful, perfectly functional house built in the late 1800s is torn down for new construction, or what many people have derisively referred to as a “McMansion.” This newer, bigger, better mentality has swept the nation, from my friend Stuart posting on Facebook about his kitchen transformation project to entire TV channels, including HGTV and DIY Network, celebrating the changes that homeowners can perform on their homes, and thus the revolutionary impact it has on their lives. What is behind this need and desire to have our homes and buildings be new? Most homes being torn down are actually still beautiful and in good shape. In many cases, the architecture found in these “teardowns” define the neighborhood’s style. The sheltering function of these seemingly outof-date homes still works, so why redesign and remodel?
THE SAME SOCIAL FUNCTION THAT IS EXPERIENCED THROUGH A NEW WARDROBE IS ALSO GAINED THROUGH A NEW LIVING ENVIRONMENT. Surprisingly, the answer can be found in fashion. Fashion? Think about it: As consumers living in an image-conscious world, we distinguish ourselves based on the clothing we wear. Changing our wardrobe shows we are current with the times and it satisfies our need for novelty and newness. That novelty and newness also meets our brain’s need for constant stimulation. The same social function that is experienced through a new wardrobe is also gained through a new living environment. But this “new” phenomenon isn’t, well, new. The need to rebuild our home environments is age-old. Take the Ise Grand
Steven Fischer is Director of Image, Style & Design Studio and a Lecturer at Northwestern University. Illustration by Ashley Kuhn, ashleykuhn.com
Shrine in Japan, a central shrine for the Shinto religion. Historians believe it was established in the 4th century B.C., but it has been rebuilt every 20 years since. It’s a part of the Shinto belief of wabi-sabi, the death and renewal of nature and the impermanence of all things. Although the shrine is rebuilt as an exact replica of the original each time, it reflects the human need for constant renewal. And this need for new is not going anywhere anytime soon; it’s part of being human. Now the challenge ahead with ever-renewal of the home is to make a change that is long(er) term and ecologically sustainable. a
ignore the legendary SpeakerCraft sound.
but you can’t
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DESIGN BUREAU
Columns
July 2013
ARCHITECTS & ARTISANS
Alchemy in Miami Beach Witness an oasis of calm on a bustling Miami strip BY J. MICHAEL WELTON
Tucked inside the ground level of the award-winning concrete parking structure at 1111 Lincoln Road (designed by Swiss firm Herzog & De Meuron), the new retail space offers refuge from the frantic pace of Lincoln Road’s bars, shops, theaters, and restaurants. It also serves as a complement to the original Alchemist shop on the fifth floor, which will now serve as more of a curated retail haven. The idea was to create an insulated, relaxing area out of Styrofoam—wrapping the ceilings and walls as a buffer for the surrounding structure—to provide a soft, tactile atmosphere. “The desired effect is to create a white, refreshing, and tropical condition, and pull retail customers into the story,” he says. “It’s about relief and respite. We want to insulate you and isolate you from the movement outside.”
A
rchitect Rene Gonzalez never ceases to amaze. I spoke with him in late 2012, after he had designed a record-breaking residence on Biscayne Bay in Miami, which sold for $47 million. Now, smack-dab in the middle of the busy and booming atmosphere of Miami Beach, Gonzalez has designed a 2,500-square-foot retail oasis of quiet and calm: the new flagship store for clothing company Alchemist.
Video projection at the end of the space draws shoppers through the store. Dressing rooms are located at the rear, while a saw-toothed layout creates a dynamic shopping experience with increased display areas. Bright colors play off the sand-and-white color palette of the walls and ceiling. “There’s a linear light, programmed to change colors and create patterns behind the Styrofoam walls,” he says. “It’s designed to create
J. Michael Welton writes about architecture, art, and design for a number of national and international publications. He also publishes an online design magazine at architectsandartisans.com. Portions of this article appeared there in January.
an energy not unlike the urban centers in Japan.” Certainly, Alchemist is no ordinary retailer: It carries more than 50 high-end collections of ready-to-wear, bags, shoes, and jewelry, including Alaïa, Rick Owens, Céline, and Givenchy. But there’s also a special section with limited-edition prints, publications, and rare collectibles. Among them: a signed book by Patti Smith, an autographed Warhol record cover, and a vintage 1981 Keith Haring coloring book. Not to mention the bright green bench installation by Zaha Hadid. So it may be quiet, but hey— it’s still Miami Beach. a
miami nice Architect Rene Gonzalez designed the calming flagship store for clothing company Alchemist in bustling Miami Beach.
— Ciderist Gregory Hall
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2013
DESIGN BUREAU
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July 2013
THIS ISSUE’S BEST ALBUMS
DESIGN BUREAU
Presented by
ALARMPRESS
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
01/
One of Us is the Killer (Sumerian / Party Smasher) Influenced by old punk and hardcore albums and devoid of full-blown sonic excursions, The Dillinger Escape Plan’s fifth full-length album is, if there is such a thing, a “straightforward” affair. Raging, intricate blasts of metalcore mayhem still rule One of Us is the Killer, but with only one “radio-friendly” track, no epic piano jams, and most songs less than four minutes, it’s pure adrenaline—and still adventurous as all get-out.
Featuring the same recording lineup, the band now benefits from better chemistry between guitarist/songwriter Ben Weinman and drummer Billy Rymer, not to mention an even wider range from vocalist Greg Puciato, who works from eruptive anger to cooing, crooning, and chanting. Sonically, it’s still über-diverse, with bits of glockenspiel, piano, horns, “choir” effects, and keyboard squiggles, plus a “dark bossa nova” interlude, an instrumental synth jam, and an organic drum-andbass intro. When it’s said and done, One of Us is the Killer will be one of the best albums of 2013. [SM]
VAMPIRE WEEKEND
PALMS
RETOX
Modern Vampires of the City (XL)
s/t (Ipecac)
YPLL (Epitaph)
02/ Pitchfork poster-child Vampire Weekend is back, and once again it has created some of the most culturally nuanced pop rock around. The cover art, smog descending on a blackand-white New York cityscape, codifies the direction. Keys still joyfully skirl around Ezra Koenig’s voice, but there are poignant moments, more harpsichord than synth; Rostam Batmanglij’s compositions enfold the brain-twisting lyrics in layers of divergent and classically infused sound. The band still has its liveliness, however, as songs like “Unbelievers” and “Finger Back” reinforce its love of high-energy high concepts. Wrapping up its third album, Vampire Weekend has evolved; dismiss it as twee at your peril. [LE]
03/ Have you ever imagined Deftones singer Chino Moreno fronting post-metal cult heroes Isis? This rhetorical question is a lesson in Oversimplification 100, but it’s an apt introduction to Palms, a new super-group with Mr. Moreno and 3/5 of Isis (no Aaron Turner, FYI). The music on this self-titled debut—with six tracks reaching 47 minutes—isn’t quite as metallic as the members’ more famous bands, but it resembles the melodic, epic jams of later Isis albums. It isn’t soft, by any means—guitar fuzz still features prominently, and Moreno’s breathy croons climax in throatier howls. The result is weighty and pretty, and for fans of modern post-metal with legit singing, Palms is a name to remember. [SM]
04/ Though Retox vocalist Justin Pearson (of The Locust) gets first mention for his name recognition, the rest of this Southern California hardcore-punk outfit is no less tenured or talented, with other projects that span from noise-core to Americana. YPLL, the band’s sophomore LP—just 22 minutes—is another dose of high-speed aggression and witty/pithy song titles (“Greasy Psalms,” “Soviet Reunion,” “Congratulations, You Are Good Enough”). New addition Brian Evans suitably replaces the whirling-dervish Gabe Serbian on drums, and with only two tracks on YPLL that eclipse two minutes, his maniacal energy is crucial. Whether you’ve followed Pearson’s career or just love riotous punk rock with smarts, pick this up. [SM]
02/
03/
04/
05/
06/
07/
SCOUT NIBLETT
LES RHINOCÉROS
SOLE
It’s Up to Emma (Drag City)
Les Rhinocéros II (Tzadik)
05/ Dour yet inspiring, Scout Niblett’s music has the visceral impact of splinter removal: bloody but therapeutic. On It’s Up to Emma, her sixth album, Niblett bares her soul, in songs that convey the raw intensity of personal shakeups. The album opens with “Gun,” a song that instills terror, pity, and rage in the listener. In a microcosm of the album’s seething catharsis, deadly vengeance is threatened on a cheating lover. From thereon, each song branches with emotional pitfalls. Even TLC’s “No Scrubs” is taken from playful “fuck off” to stripped-down anthem. The production is spare, with a few beats and strings next to Niblett’s powerful voice and bluesy riffs—yielding a beautiful, morose collection. [LE]
06/ Formed in 2008 as an improvisational bassand-sax project, Les Rhinocéros continues its transformation to a focused yet experimental rock band on this, its second album as a power trio. Chosen by legendary composer John Zorn to start his label’s “spotlight series,” the band commingles progressive rock with jazz, worldly melodies, and other tangents. Thankfully, nothing seems forced—switching from winding riffs to Jewish-inflected dub or a flickering drone is a logical progression. These songs may be individual compositions, but when viewed together, they’re a catalogue of exciting, interwoven ideas. [LE]
No Wising Up, No Settling Down (Black Canyon) 07/ Activist MC Sole is back, barely six months after his last album, with another blast of hip-hop truthspeaking. On No Wising Up, No Settling Down, the Occupy Denver participant stretches his net wide and confronts globalism, rap tropes, class immobility, animal consumption, and more. Less explicitly political, his fifth solo fulllength is a “macro-social” affair. “People Piss Me Off” chronicles the tiny wrongs of the world; “My Veganism” tackles lifestyle choice; “I Think I’m Emma Goldman” offers an orchestral introduction to anarchism. The guest-heavy production is a diverse and experimental take on pop-rap and electronica, and as a result, Sole’s latest is as rangy as ever. [LE]
Scott Morrow is the music editor at ALARM Press and author of This Week’s Best Albums, an eclectic weekly series presenting exceptional music. Visit alarm-magazine.com for more. [LE] Lincoln Eddy [SM] Scott Morrow. Photos courtesy of the artists.
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July 2013
FOR HIRE DESIGN TALENT FRESH ON THE MARKET
For Hire: Quinn Keaveney FOR HIRE Designat Talent This multitalented designer is equally adept creating new fonts Fresh On the Market and building squirting pipe sculptures inspired by slugs’ sex lives
FOR HIRE
DESIGN TALENT FRESH ON THE MARKET
FOR HIRE
FOR HIRE
DESIGN TALENT FRESH ON THE MARKET
DESIGN TALENT FRESH ON THE MARKET
FOR HIRE
FOR HIRE
FOR HIRE
DESIGN TALENT FRESH ON THE MARKET
Design Talent Fresh On the Market
DESIGN TALENT FRESH ON THE MARKET
FOR HIRE
FOR HIRE: Laura Allcorn
DESIGNwork TALENT What design doFRESH you most gravitate toward? ON THE MARKET
DESIGN TALENT FRESH ON THE MARKET
I like design that provides a service to its users. By this I don’t mean ultra-legible typography or even minimal design. a tool.FRESH I think this DESIGN TALENT FRESH I mean design that provides DESIGN TALENT ON THE MARKET ON THE MARKET is why I like typefaces, user-interface design, and front end development so much.
FORFORHIRE HIRE
What’s something you’d like to create that you haven’t? I want to make a digital game. I don’t care if it’s an app, console, online, Chrome, or whatever. I grew up as a gamer, and in the past few years stopped. It’s not that I want to start gaming again, but I make so many things—3-D printers, web sites, drawing machines, bikes, and typefaces, yet I’ve never made a game. It makes sense that I use what I’ve learned from all that time I gave to gaming and make one that reflects those emotions. Who are some of your design inspirations? Type designers like Peter Bil’ak, Jackson Cavanaugh, Martina Florbalic, and Rich Roat. What is your ideal post-graduation job? I want to be a type designer working someplace like House Industries or Typotheque, where they pair concept with technology and craft. Freelancing has its benefits, but I want to learn so much from working with people. Why should someone hire you? I’m not afraid to get weird, I will use whatever technology exists to solve the problem, and I want to work with clients, not for them.
FROM TOP LEFT: Keaveney’s Finkl typeface was inspired by Chicago steel forge A. Finkl &
Sons; his pipe sculpture Slug Sex integrated his love of typography (“No gallery has allowed me to actually spray the sculpture yet,” he says. “If you’re interested in a squirting pipe sculpture I would love to hear from you.”); undulating lines on the First 2012 publication
Quinn Likes: Puppies, bicycles, ratty mopeds, flying, chrome, #FE0139, transparency paper, Green Line (the beer), Blue Line (the Chicago train), calligraphy pens
Quinn Dislikes: Taxies, falling, ketchup, using typographic terms incorrectly, The Ex Girlfriends song “We Are The Party”
RESUME SNAPSHOT: Quinn Keaveney EDUCATION School of the Art Institute of Chicago BFA in Visual Communication Design, 2013
WORK EXPERIENCE Plural, 2013 Web development and print design intern
School of the Art Institute of Chicago BA in Visual and Critical Studies, 2013
F News, 2013 Logo design for French market
SKILLS Using wood, metal, plastic, molds, CNC, lazer cutting, and 3-D printing to develop web sites, typefaces, and relationships. HMTL, CSS, PHP, Javascript, Python, TLC
Are you a design student or recent grad? Are you interested in being featured in For Hire? Email us: forhire@wearedesignbureau.com
Wanna hire Quinn? Check out his website: quinnkeaveney.com
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